Author Description

This study attempts to compare the earnings of men and women on an equal footing by concentrating on recent post-secondary graduates and using survey data on a number of earnings-related characteristics. The data cover three graduating classes of university and community college students: 1982, 1986, and 1990. The data presented include percentages of female graduates by field of study and degree level; female/male earnings ratios by field of study, program length, industry, and occupation; and earnings by hours of work and by age. A multivariate earnings model was used to analyze the earnings gap, dividing the gap into two components: one which captures the difference in earnings due to the different characteristics of men and women and one which captures the proportion of the earnings gap attributable to differing returns to those characteristics. The earnings model also showed the role that hours of work plays in the earnings gap.