Essays on Gender Wage Gap

The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally considered to be paid less than men.

Differences in pay are caused by occupational segregation (with more men in higher paid industries and women in lower paid industries), vertical segregation (fewer women in senior, and hence better paying positions), ineffective equal pay legislation, women's overall paid working hours, and barriers to entry into the labor market (such as education level and single parenting rate).

The gender pay gap can be a problem from a public policy perspective because it reduces economic output and means that women are more likely to be dependent upon welfare payments, especially in old age.

The pay gap exists in nearly every profession.
Mothers face an even wider pay gap than women without kids.
Women with bachelor’s degrees working full time are paid 26% less than their male counterparts.
Women face an income gap in retirement.