Market expectations, job search, and gender differences in starting pay

Search theory suggests that if a woman anticipates discriminatory treatment in the labor market, she will lower her reservation wage which would, in turn, lead to lower pay. This prediction is tested using a data set of graduating college seniors. Results show that women had lower starting-pay expec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of labor research Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 307 - 321
Main Authors: Orazem, Peter F., Werbel, James D., McElroy, James C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York Transaction Publishers 01.04.2003
Springer Nature B.V
Series:Journal of Labor Research
Subjects:
Career development
Career planning
College students
Expectations
Gender differences
Job hunting
Labor market
Search strategies
Studies
Women
United States > US
ISSN:0195-3613, 1936-4768
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Search theory suggests that if a woman anticipates discriminatory treatment in the labor market, she will lower her reservation wage which would, in turn, lead to lower pay. This prediction is tested using a data set of graduating college seniors. Results show that women had lower starting-pay expectations, even for men and women with the same major, job-market information, and job-search strategies. Lower pay expectations led to lower pay outcomes for women. However, women who engaged more intensively in career planning had pay expectations and starting pay more in line with those of men.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 14
ISSN:0195-3613
1936-4768
DOI:10.1007/BF02701795