Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/44171 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 5085
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper surveys gender and ethnic wage gaps in 18 Latin American countries, decomposing differences using matching comparisons as a non-parametric alternative to the Blinder-Oaxaca (BO) decomposition. It is found that men earn 9-27 percent more than women, with high cross-country heterogeneity. The unexplained pay gap is higher among older, informal and self-employed workers and those in small firms. Ethnic wage differences are greater than gender differences, and educational attainment differentials play an important role in explaining the gap. Higher ethnic wage gaps are found among males, single-income generators of households and full-time workers, and in rural areas. An important share of the ethnic wage gap is due to the scarcity of minorities in high-paid positions.
Subjects: 
gender
ethnicity
wage gaps
Latin America
matching
JEL: 
C14
D31
J16
O54
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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