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The Long-Run Effects of Peer Gender on Occupational Sorting and the Wage Gap

Getik, Demid LU and Meier, Armando N. (2025) In American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 17(3). p.35-70
Abstract

We study the impact of the early gender environment on inequality in the labor market. To this end, we link primary school data to occupations and earnings. We find that women exposed to more girls at critical ages earn more later on: A 10 percent increase in the share of girls leads to a gender wage gap reduction of 2.7 percent. We explore mechanisms and find a strong selection of women into less gender-stereotypical educational tracks and occupations, leading to higher earnings. The gender environment at an early age, therefore, leads to persistent changes in career trajectories and earnings.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
volume
17
issue
3
pages
36 pages
publisher
American Economic Association
external identifiers
  • scopus:105022601584
ISSN
1945-7731
DOI
10.1257/pol.20230251
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
90a05f03-7443-4fd9-a775-b77f37cdacb6
date added to LUP
2026-02-03 14:23:10
date last changed
2026-02-03 14:23:49
@article{90a05f03-7443-4fd9-a775-b77f37cdacb6,
  abstract     = {{<p>We study the impact of the early gender environment on inequality in the labor market. To this end, we link primary school data to occupations and earnings. We find that women exposed to more girls at critical ages earn more later on: A 10 percent increase in the share of girls leads to a gender wage gap reduction of 2.7 percent. We explore mechanisms and find a strong selection of women into less gender-stereotypical educational tracks and occupations, leading to higher earnings. The gender environment at an early age, therefore, leads to persistent changes in career trajectories and earnings.</p>}},
  author       = {{Getik, Demid and Meier, Armando N.}},
  issn         = {{1945-7731}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{35--70}},
  publisher    = {{American Economic Association}},
  series       = {{American Economic Journal: Economic Policy}},
  title        = {{The Long-Run Effects of Peer Gender on Occupational Sorting and the Wage Gap}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/pol.20230251}},
  doi          = {{10.1257/pol.20230251}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}