The firm-pay gender gap and formal sector churn over the life cycle

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bassier, Ihsaan; Gautham, Leila
• 署名单位: University of Surrey; University of Cape Town; University of Leeds
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103498
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: Firm pay premia; Gender pay inequality; sorting; worker transitions

摘要

We find that women sorting into lower paying firms explains nearly half of the gender pay gap in South Using matched employer-employee panel data covering the universe of formal workers, we show sorting considerably over the life cycle: the firm-pay gender gap is negligible for the youngest workers, grows for 25-35 year olds (i.e. typical child-rearing years), and narrows for older workers. The increase is driven those continuously employed - while women are almost as likely as men to switch firms, men are more to switch to better-paying firms, consistent with discrimination or non-pay amenities. Churn also contributes to the gap (though is relatively constant), since women enter formal employment at worse-paying firms men. The relative importance of the continuously employed versus entrants depends on the size of the sector, thus linking the life cycle patterns underlying gender gaps with economic development.