Full Citation

Title: Occupation Gender Segregation: Empirical Evidence from a Matching Model with Transfers

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2018

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Abstract: Patterns of occupation segregation may be due in part to preferences for working with one’s own gender. In this paper, I use structural estimation and instrumental variables to estimate firms’ willingness-to-pay for male and female workers separately from worker preferences for occupation attributes and occupation gender composition. I separately estimate firm and worker preferences by modeling lifetime wages as transfers in a one-to-one matching model of the labor market. Using the estimated distribution of reservation wages I am able to disentangle male and female preferences for wages, gender composition, and exogenous occupation attributes using a shift-share instrumental variables strategy, which exploits variation in occupation exposure to industries, male and female labor force participation, and estimated firm willingness to pay. I then use these estimates to predict which occupations have stable and unstable gender composition. I find that with some notable exceptions in STEM fields, which will continue to feminize, and machine operators, which will masculinize, the current segregation patterns are stable, and not historically dependent. If all occupations were at parity in 1960, current observed segregation would be similar to today.

Url: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6RyLRYAyJn_U0I0RkU5NkZhME0/view

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Authors: Larson-Koester, Miriam

Publisher: Portland State University

Data Collections: IPUMS USA, IPUMS CPS

Topics: Gender, Labor Force and Occupational Structure

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