Question

Discuss the reasons behind the similarities and differences in age/earnings profiles between college-educated males and females. What might this imply about observed wage differences between college educated males and females?

Answer 1

Labour market economics is characterised by differences in wages across gender,ethnicity,race,marital status etc. the wage differentials based on gender is also common dynamic of labor market discrimination.

Economic discrimination in labor market is defined as employees getting different wages despite having equal productivity. When talkin about male femal wage differences, it highly depends on number of years spent in education as it is usually higher for male than female;thus gathering skills required on workplace to enhance their efficiency.

There is something called pre labour discirmination where females are discouraged by their peers or family to alter their human capital investment and this leads to an isolation effect and less favourable treatment of women in the workforce.

https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/06110926/HigherEdWageGap_webfig1.png

the above link shows the wage gap at each higher education institute which gives an obvious result.

The reason one compares college educated gender difference is because it is assumed that after graduating women will be paid more than non graduate women but a college degree doesnot give assurance that women will be paid at par to men with same level of education. One important component which describes this difference is occupation differences; program choices which give lesser economic returns are chosen by women.

Women might have other priorities like child care, family expectations which result into lesser time spent on workforce also holds responsibility of lowering women wages.