Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335965 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18317
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We document, for the very first time, the relationship between earnings and sexual orientation in China. Using data from the 2020 Chinese Private Life Survey, we find that gay men earn significantly less than comparable heterosexual men, with the largest penalties for rural-hukou holders and among men reporting exclusive same-sex attraction. Lesbian women tend to earn more than heterosexual women, but the differences are small and mostly insignificant. The estimates for bisexual men and women are uniformly insignificant. We conclude that the gay penalties and lesbian premiums in China, albeit imprecisely estimated, mirror those observed in Western labor markets and are most consistent with explanations based on conventional gender norms and intra-household specialization.
Subjects: 
sexual orientation
earnings
China
JEL: 
D10
J10
J15
J30
J70
O10
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
567.75 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.