Women at work: Women's access to power and the gender earnings gap

• Published in: Industrial & labor relations review 2017, Vol.70 (1), p.190-222
• Main Authors: Abendroth, Anja-Kristin, Melzer, Silvia Maja, Kalev, Alexandra, Tomaskovic-Devey, Donald
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beruflicher Aufstieg; Einkommensunterschied; Erwerbstätigkeit; Frau; Führungskraft; Gender differences; Gender differentiation; Gender equity; Gender pay gap; Germany; Geschlechterverteilung; Geschlechtsspezifik; Großunternehmen; Human resource management; Human resources; Humankapital; IAB-Linked-Employer-Employee-Datensatz; Mann; Occupational roles; Personnel management; Qualifications; Qualifikationsniveau; Sex differences; Sex roles; Social privilege; Studies; Women
• ISSN: 0019-7939; 2162-271X
• DOI: 10.1177/0019793916668530

Using a unique sample of 5,022 workers in 94 large German workplaces, the authors explore whether and how women’s access to higher level positions, firms’ human resources practices, and workers’ qualification levels are associated with gender differences in earnings. First, they find that having more women in management reduces the gender earnings gap for jobs with low qualifications, but not those with high qualifications. Second, they find that while men’s compensation is positively affected by having a male supervisor, women with a female supervisor do not receive such an advantage. Finally, they find that human resources practices and job-level qualifications moderate the association between gendered power and gender earnings inequalities. Integrating women into managerial and supervisory roles does not automatically reduce gender inequalities; its impacts are contingent on organizational context.