Gender Pay Gap: Gesamtwirtschaftliche Evidenz und regionale Unterschiede

Abstract

In 2008, the difference in gross hourly wages between employed men and women amounted to roughly 29 per cent on average. The gender pay gap shrinks to 13 per cent if several characteristics, such as education, work experience, tenure, industries, occupations and labour force participation, are taken into account. On average, female employees who return quickly from parental leave earn only 4 per cent less than equally qualified male colleagues. In general, the gender pay gap is influenced more by men and women with different characteristics than by a different treatment in the wage setting process. Furthermore, the difference in hourly wages between male and female employees is larger in rural areas than in cities. This results from larger variations between men and women regarding such characteristics as education, works experience, tenure. Evidence suggests that traditional role models may be more prevalent in rural areas than in urban regions and thus contribute to the higher gender pay gap in the former.