Monopsonistic Labour Markets and the Gender Pay Gap: Theory and Empirical Evidence
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Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2010. 259 p. (Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems; No. 639).
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TY - BOOK
T1 - Monopsonistic Labour Markets and the Gender Pay Gap
T2 - Theory and Empirical Evidence
AU - Hirsch, Boris
N1 - Zugl.: Erlangen-Nürnberg, Univ., Diss., [2009]
PY - 2010/4/1
Y1 - 2010/4/1
N2 - This book investigates models of spatial and dynamic monopsony and their application to the persistent empirical regularity of the gender pay gap. Theoretically, the main conclusion is that employers possess more monopsony power over their female employees if women are less driven by pecuniary considerations in their choice of employers than men. Employers may exploit this to increase their profits at the detriment of women’s wages. Empirically, it is indeed found that women’s labour supply to the firm is less wage-elastic than men’s and that at least a third of the gender pay gap in the data investigated may result from employers engaging in monopsonistic discrimination. Therefore, a monopsonistic approach to gender discrimination in the labour market clearly contributes to the economic understanding of the gender pay gap. It not only provides an intuitively appealing explanation of the gap from standard economic reasoning, but it is also corroborated by empirical observation.
AB - This book investigates models of spatial and dynamic monopsony and their application to the persistent empirical regularity of the gender pay gap. Theoretically, the main conclusion is that employers possess more monopsony power over their female employees if women are less driven by pecuniary considerations in their choice of employers than men. Employers may exploit this to increase their profits at the detriment of women’s wages. Empirically, it is indeed found that women’s labour supply to the firm is less wage-elastic than men’s and that at least a third of the gender pay gap in the data investigated may result from employers engaging in monopsonistic discrimination. Therefore, a monopsonistic approach to gender discrimination in the labour market clearly contributes to the economic understanding of the gender pay gap. It not only provides an intuitively appealing explanation of the gap from standard economic reasoning, but it is also corroborated by empirical observation.
KW - Economics
KW - Discrimination
KW - Gender
KW - Gender Pay Gap
KW - Labour Supply
KW - Monopsony
KW - Nation
KW - women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960065738&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-10409-1
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-10409-1
M3 - Monographs
SN - 978-3-642-10408-4
T3 - Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems
BT - Monopsonistic Labour Markets and the Gender Pay Gap
PB - Springer Verlag
CY - Berlin, Heidelberg
ER -