Gender Wage Gap among Graduates of Russian Colleges: Between Educational and Occupational Segregation
Abstract
The article uses administrative data from the Monitoring of Graduate Employment to assess the gender wage gap among graduates of secondary vocational education programs and the contribution of educational and work characteristics to the size of this gap. At the labour market entry, the gender wage gap is already 23% for professionals and clerks and 12% for middle-level professionals. Three years after graduation, the gap more than doubles for both qualification levels. A significant portion of the gap is explained by occupational segregation, arising due to the uneven gender distribution by fields of study. Among middle-level professionals, diplomas in health and education, which are mostly obtained by women, are more highly paid than other fields of study. Thus, the negative effect of occupational segregation is compensated by the positive effect of educational segregation. At the same time, among professionals and clerks, women work in low-paid trade, regardless of their field of study. Therefore, educational segregation at this qualification level contributes to the gender wage gap. Although female professionals often hold jobs above their qualifications, they earn less than men in lower positions, resulting in the highest gender gap among young professionals.
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References
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