Title

The Gap Remains: Gender and Earnings in Taiwan

Author(s)

Jessica L. Baraka Jessica Baraka (Princeton University)

Abstract

The female-male gender gap in earnings in Taiwan has remained nearly constant over the past two decades, despite rapid change in the structure of the labor market. Using data from a series of 17 cross-sectional household surveys, I discuss the shifts that have taken place in the composition of the workforce in Taiwan. I then analyze the gender gap by performing a traditional decomposition of the gap into "explained" and "unexplained" portions, and find that the unexplained portion of the gap has increased substantially over time. I also examine how changes in the overall level of inequality in the economy have contributed to the stability of the gap. Finally, I look at whether the increased relative supply of female workers in Taiwan over time can account for their unchanged relative earnings in the face of increasing relative skills. I find little evidence that women are not treated as substitutes for men in production, but suggestive evidence that discrimination depresses women's earnings in Taiwan.

Creation Date

1999-07

Section URL ID

RPDS

Paper Number

baraka_gender_gap.pdf

URL

https://rpds.princeton.edu/sites/rpds/files/media/baraka_gender_gap.pdf

File Function

Jel

J16, J31

Keyword(s)

Taiwan

Suppress

false

Series

5