Family Friendly Occupations and the US Gender Wage Gap

Abstract: A consistent finding in US labor market research is that the wages of men and women are lower in predominantly female occupations. The roles of a number of specific occupational characteristics that may be of benefit to individuals juggling labor market and child-rearing responsibilities in explaining this relationship are investigated. These occupation average characteristics include the proportion of employees working part-time, the average hours of work among full-time workers and the average commuting time to work. The relationship between average occupation commuting time and wages is examined in detail.