Gender Differences in Job Search and the Earnings Gap: Evidence from the Field and Lab*

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cortes, Patricia; Pan, Jessica; Pilossoph, Laura; Reuben, Ernesto; Zafar, Basit
• 署名单位: Boston University; National Bureau of Economic Research; National University of Singapore; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; Duke University; New York University; New York University Abu Dhabi; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
• 刊物名称: QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0033-5533
• DOI: 10.1093/qje/qjad017
• 发表日期: 2023
• 页码: 2069-2126
• 关键词: risk attitudes; wage

摘要

This article investigates gender differences in the job search process in the field and lab. Our analysis is based on rich information on initial job offers and acceptances from undergraduates of Boston University's Questrom School of Business. We find (i) a clear gender difference in the timing of job offer acceptance, with women accepting jobs substantially earlier than men, and (ii) a sizable gender earnings gap in accepted offers, which narrows in favor of women over the course of the job search period. To understand these patterns, we develop a job search model that incorporates gender differences in risk aversion and overoptimism about prospective offers. We validate the model's assumptions and predictions using the survey data and present empirical evidence that the job search patterns in the field can be partly explained by the greater risk aversion displayed by women and the higher levels of overoptimism displayed by men. We replicate these findings in a laboratory experiment that features sequential job search and provide direct evidence on the purported mechanisms. Our findings highlight the importance of risk preferences and beliefs for gender differences in job-finding behavior and, consequently, early-career wage gaps among the highly educated.