Gender Gaps in Paid Work and Wages for Five Countries [Figure 3.19]

In a hypothetical economy, the earnings for the top 1% of male full-time employees increase dramatically, while the earnings for all other full-time employees (both male and female) remain unchanged. When the gender wage gap is measured as the difference between the median earnings of full-time male and female employees, what is the most likely impact of this change on the calculated gap?

Calculating the Gender Wage Gap

To calculate its specific gender wage gap metric, the OECD includes the earnings of both full-time and part-time workers to get a complete picture of the labor market.

Critiquing the Gender Wage Gap Metric

In a particular country, the gender wage gap, calculated as the difference between median earnings of full-time male and female employees as a percentage of male earnings, is 15%. A new national policy is enacted that results in a 10% increase in the median earnings for full-time female employees. The median earnings for full-time male employees remain constant. What is the most likely outcome for the gender wage gap?

Consider an economy where the median earnings for full-time male employees is $50,000 and for full-time female employees is $42,500. The following year, due to uniform inflation, the median earnings for both full-time male and female employees increase by exactly $5,000 each. How does this change affect the gender wage gap when measured as the difference in median earnings expressed as a percentage of male earnings?

Components of the Gender Wage Gap Metric

Two countries, A and B, both report that the difference between the median earnings of their full-time male and female employees is exactly $10,000. In Country A, the median earnings for full-time male employees are $100,000. In Country B, the median earnings for full-time male employees are $50,000. Based on the metric that calculates the gender wage gap as the difference in median earnings expressed as a percentage of male earnings, which statement is the most accurate comparison?

Evaluating Changes in the Gender Wage Gap

Interpreting the Gender Wage Gap Metric