Skip to main content

Abstract

The difference between salaries of male and female employees has been persistent despite the effort employed by government agencies in reducing it. The gender pay gap amounts to 16 % in the European Union (EU) and 23 % in the United States (US) in 2011, and has not varied substantially over the last 20 years. In this paper, we provide a detailed picture of the gender pay gap phenomenon by reviewing the contributions provided by previous literature. We also analyze the role played by the increasing globalization on gender wage inequality, and identify both positive and negative effects. Then, we provide a detailed picture of the regulatory interventions implemented so far to deter the gender pay gap, and identify some of the best practices that national governments could adopt as a response to this phenomenon. Finally, we propose alternative strategies and potential solutions aimed at progressively eliminating the gap.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Achatz, J., Gartner, H., & Glück, T. (2005). Bonus oder Bias? Mechanismen geschlechtsspezifischer Entlohnung. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 57, 466–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acker, J. (2006). Inequality regimes: Gender, class, and race in organizations. Gender and Society, 20, 441–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arulampalam, W., Booth, A. L., & Bryan, M. L. (2007). Is there a glass ceiling over Europe? Exploring the gender pay gap across the wage distribution. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 60, 163–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, S., & Brainerd, E. (2004). Importing equality? The impact of globalization on gender discrimination. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 57, 540–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackaby, D., Booth, A. L., & Frank, J. (2005). Outside offers and the gender pay gap: Empirical evidence from the UK academic labour market. Economic Journal, 115, 81–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2001). Understanding international differences in the gender pay gap. NBER Working Paper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2007). The gender pay gap: Have women gone as far as they can? Academy of Management Perspectives, 21, 7–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark-Flory, T. (2007). Women earn less than men a year out of college. Salon.com. Available at: www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2007/04/23/wage_gap

  • European Commission. (2006a). A roadmap for equality between women and men 2006–2010. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2006b). The transposition of recast directive 2006/54/EC. Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Brussels.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2011). Strategy for equality between women and men 2010–2015. Publication Office of the European Union, Brussels.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2013). Tackling the gender pay gap in the European Union. Publication Office of the European Union, Brussels. doi:10.2838/58639.

  • Foubert, P. (2010). The gender pay gap in Europe from a legal perspective. Luxembourg: OOPEC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, M. (2011). Frauengehälter: Abgespeist und unterbezahlt. Spiegel Online. Available at: www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/jobundberuf/frauengehaelter-abgespeist-und-unterbezahlt-a-747116.html

  • Goldberg, P. (1968). Are women prejudiced against women? Society, 5, 28–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IRS. (2014). Action organizations. Last Reviewed May 15, 2014. Available at: http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Action-Organizations

  • Katz, C. P., & Baitsch, C. (2006). Arbeit bewerten - Personal beurteilen. Lohnsysteme mit Abakaba: Grundlagen, Anwendung, Praxisberichte, Zurich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolb, D. M., Williams, J., & Frohlinger, C. (2004). Her place at the table: A woman’s guide to negotiating five key challenges to leadership success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kronberg, A. (2013). Stay or leave? Externalization of job mobility and the effect on the U.S. gender earnings gap, 1979–2009. Social Forces. doi:10.1093/sf/sot041.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandel, H., & Semyonov, M. (2005). Family policies, wage structures, and gender gaps: Sources of earnings inequality in 20 countries. American Sociological Review, 70, 949–967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Equal Pay Task Force. (2013). Fifty years after the equal pay act: Assessing the past, taking stock of the future. Washington, DC: The White House. available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/equal-pay.

  • OECD. (2002). Women at work: Who are they and how are they faring? OECD Employment Outlook, OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oostendorp, R. H. (2009). Globalization and the gender wage gap. World Bank Economic Review. doi:10.1093/wber/lhn022.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plantenga, J., & Remery, C. (2006). The gender pay gap. Origins and policy responses. A comparative review of thirty European countries. Brussels: Synthesis report for the Equality Unit, European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubery, J., Grimshaw, D., & Figueiredo, H. (2002). The gender pay gap and gender mainstreaming pay policy in EU member states. Manchester, UK: Manchester Business School.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubery, J., Grimshaw, D., & Figueiredo, H. (2005). How to close the gender pay gap in Europe: Towards the gender mainstreaming of pay policy. Industrial Relations Journal, 36, 184–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swim, J., Borgida, E., Maruyama, G., & Myers, D. G. (1989). John McKay versus Joan McKay: Do gender stereotypes bias evaluations? Psychological Bulletin, 105, 409–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wade, M. E. (2001). Women and salary negotiation: The costs of self-advocacy. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 65–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zizza, R. (2012). The gender wage gap in Italy. Mimeo: Bank of Italy.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hugo Menendez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Manetti, D., Menendez, H., Meruani, A., Wagner, I., Zenetti, R. (2015). The Gender Pay Gap. In: Audretsch, D., Lehmann, E., Richardson, A., Vismara, S. (eds) Globalization and Public Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17692-5_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics