Higher education and high-wage gender inequality

Natasha Quadlin; Tom VanHeuvelen; Caitlin E. Ahearn

doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102873

Higher education and high-wage gender inequality

Natasha Quadlin, Tom VanHeuvelen, Caitlin E. Ahearn

Sociology (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed a relocation of gender wage inequality. Whereas the largest wage gaps were once concentrated among lower-paid, lower-educated workers, today these wage gaps sit among the highest-paid, highly-educated workers. Given this reordering of gender wage inequality and the centrality of college graduates to total inequality trends, in this article, we assess the contribution of higher education mechanisms to top-end gender inequality. Specifically, we use Census and ACS data along with unique decomposition models to assess the extent to which two mechanisms rooted in higher education—bachelor's-level fields of study and the attainment of advanced degrees—can account for the gender wage gap across the wage distribution. Results from these decomposition models show that while these explanatory mechanisms fare well among bottom and middle wages, their explanatory power breaks down among the highest-paid college workers. We conclude that women's attainment of “different” education (via fields of study) or “more” education (via advanced degrees) would do little to close the gender wage gaps that are contributing most to contemporary wage inequality trends. We suggest some directions for future research, and we also take seriously the role of discriminatory pay-setting at the top of the wage distribution.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	102873
Journal	Social Science Research
Volume	112
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102873
State	Published - May 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The first two authors are equal contributors and are listed alphabetically. We are grateful to Kim Goyette, Andy Halpern-Manners, Michelle Maroto, Brian Powell, Jane VanHeuvelen, and Jill Yavorsky for their helpful comments on this project. Previous versions of this article were presented at annual meetings of the RC-28 Research Committee on Social Stratification and the Population Association of America, as well as the Minnesota Population Center. We thank audience members at these talks for their comments and suggestions. Funding for this project was provided by the UCLA Department of Sociology.

Funding Information:
☆ The first two authors are equal contributors and are listed alphabetically. We are grateful to Kim Goyette, Andy Halpern-Manners, Michelle Maroto, Brian Powell, Jane VanHeuvelen, and Jill Yavorsky for their helpful comments on this project. Previous versions of this article were presented at annual meetings of the RC-28 Research Committee on Social Stratification and the Population Association of America, as well as the Minnesota Population Center. We thank audience members at these talks for their comments and suggestions. Funding for this project was provided by the UCLA Department of Sociology.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Keywords

Advanced degrees
Fields of study
Gender wage gap
Higher education
Inequality

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Journal Article

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102873

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title = "Higher education and high-wage gender inequality",

abstract = "Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed a relocation of gender wage inequality. Whereas the largest wage gaps were once concentrated among lower-paid, lower-educated workers, today these wage gaps sit among the highest-paid, highly-educated workers. Given this reordering of gender wage inequality and the centrality of college graduates to total inequality trends, in this article, we assess the contribution of higher education mechanisms to top-end gender inequality. Specifically, we use Census and ACS data along with unique decomposition models to assess the extent to which two mechanisms rooted in higher education—bachelor's-level fields of study and the attainment of advanced degrees—can account for the gender wage gap across the wage distribution. Results from these decomposition models show that while these explanatory mechanisms fare well among bottom and middle wages, their explanatory power breaks down among the highest-paid college workers. We conclude that women's attainment of “different” education (via fields of study) or “more” education (via advanced degrees) would do little to close the gender wage gaps that are contributing most to contemporary wage inequality trends. We suggest some directions for future research, and we also take seriously the role of discriminatory pay-setting at the top of the wage distribution.",

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author = "Natasha Quadlin and Tom VanHeuvelen and Ahearn, {Caitlin E.}",

note = "Funding Information: The first two authors are equal contributors and are listed alphabetically. We are grateful to Kim Goyette, Andy Halpern-Manners, Michelle Maroto, Brian Powell, Jane VanHeuvelen, and Jill Yavorsky for their helpful comments on this project. Previous versions of this article were presented at annual meetings of the RC-28 Research Committee on Social Stratification and the Population Association of America, as well as the Minnesota Population Center. We thank audience members at these talks for their comments and suggestions. Funding for this project was provided by the UCLA Department of Sociology. Funding Information: ☆ The first two authors are equal contributors and are listed alphabetically. We are grateful to Kim Goyette, Andy Halpern-Manners, Michelle Maroto, Brian Powell, Jane VanHeuvelen, and Jill Yavorsky for their helpful comments on this project. Previous versions of this article were presented at annual meetings of the RC-28 Research Committee on Social Stratification and the Population Association of America, as well as the Minnesota Population Center. We thank audience members at these talks for their comments and suggestions. Funding for this project was provided by the UCLA Department of Sociology. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors",

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doi = "10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102873",

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ER -

Higher education and high-wage gender inequality

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

PubMed: MeSH publication types

UN SDGs

Publisher link

Find It

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