Social Closure and Gender Gap in Earnings : Evidence from a Multi-level Analysis of Census 2000

Abstract

Using data from the U.S. Census 2000 and other secondary source, this paper elaborates on social closure mechanisms that restrict access to remunerative occupations and investigates how gender inequality in rewards is conditioned by those closure devices. Hypotheses are tested to see whether social closure devices based on educational credentialing, opportunities for occupation-specific skills training and unionization work in gender-specific manner or not. Hierarchical linear models of regressing gender gap in earnings on social closure variables are estimated. Findings suggest that educational credentialing and unionization work to the advantage of female employees, while skills training dimension of social closure has no significant effect.