Gender wage and productivity gaps in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector

Melaku T Abegaz, Gibson Nene

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The paper uses firm-level data to examine gender wage and productivity gaps in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector for the period 1996–2010. It investigates gender wage differentials between skilled and unskilled workers after controlling for factors affecting average wages. Our findings show significant gender wage and productivity gaps and the segregation of female workers into low-paying firms. Controlling for average productivity reduces the magnitude of the wage gap but does not eliminate it. However, results using a simultaneaous estimation of wage equation and production function at a firm-level indicate no significant difference between the gender wage and productivity gaps. As such, further investigation into the sources of the dual gaps using matched employer-employee data is necessary. The Ethiopian government should focus on skill development to improve the productivity of female workers and address the segregation of female workers into low-paying firms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number2160139
JournalJournal of Applied Economics
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Ethiopia
  • gender productivity gap
  • gender wage gap
  • globalization
  • manufacturing
  • sub-Saharan Africa

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Gender wage and productivity gaps in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this