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Why Do Women Study So Much? The Role of Signaling and Work Commitment

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  • Ori Zax

    (Tel hai college)

Abstract

This paper proposes theoretical explanations for several gender-based differences observed in the labor market. Empirical evidence indicate that females acquire more schooling than males do but earn lower wages. To explain these phenomena, we analyze an economy in which females use education to signal their commitment to the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Ori Zax, 2016. "Why Do Women Study So Much? The Role of Signaling and Work Commitment," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(2), pages 1185-1193.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-16-00348
    as

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    File URL: https://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2016/Volume36/EB-16-V36-I2-P115.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2006. "The U.S. Gender Pay Gap in the 1990S: Slowing Convergence," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 60(1), pages 45-66, October.
    2. Christopher Dougherty, 2005. "Why Are the Returns to Schooling Higher for Women than for Men?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(4), pages 969-988.
    3. Blau, Francine D & Kahn, Lawrence M, 1997. "Swimming Upstream: Trends in the Gender Wage Differential in 1980s," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 1-42, January.
    4. Ori Zax & Mosi Rosenboim & Tal Shavit, 2014. "Effects of Expected Effort on Females in the Labor Market," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 107-122, August.
    5. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz & Ilyana Kuziemko, 2006. "The Homecoming of American College Women: The Reversal of the College Gender Gap," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(4), pages 133-156, Fall.
    6. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2000. "Gender Differences in Pay," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 75-99, Fall.
    7. Claudia Goldin, 2014. "A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1091-1119, April.
    8. repec:pri:indrel:dsp01gb19f581g is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Becker, Gary S, 1985. "Human Capital, Effort, and the Sexual Division of Labor," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 33-58, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Yanay Farja & Avi Tillman & Ori Zax, 2022. "The Gender Gap: Looking at the Entire Distribution," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 34(1), pages 51-68, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time allocation; human capital; wage differentials.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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