Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35946 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 4636
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This study investigates the extent to which differences in the subject of degree studied by male and female university graduates contributes to the gender pay gap, and the reasons underlying their distinct educational choices. The case of Greece is examined due to the fact that it is an EU country with historically large gender discrepancies in earnings and occupational segregation. Using micro-data from the Greek Labour Force Survey (LFS), the returns to academic disciplines are firstly estimated by gender. It is found that the subjects in which women are relatively over-represented (e.g. Education, Humanities) are also those with the lowest wage returns. Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions subsequently imply that gender differences in the type of degree studied can explain an additional 8.4% of the male-female pay gap. Risk-augmented earnings functions of the Hartog-type also indicate that women seek for less risky educations that consequently command lower wage premiums in the job market.
Subjects: 
Gender wage gap
subject of degree
returns
risk
Greece
JEL: 
J16
J24
J31
J71
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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