A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Same degrees, different outcomes? Fields of study choices and gender wage inequality in Finland and Germany
Authors: Hägglund, Anna Erika
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Social Science Research
Journal name in source: Social Science Research
Article number: 103029
Volume: 122
ISSN: 0049-089X
eISSN: 1096-0317
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103029
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103029
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/457324038
Additional information: Correction to this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103140 ; DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2025.103140
Men and women's diverging fields of study choices contribute to the gender wage gap among highly educated workers in several countries, yet systematic cross-national comparisons are rare. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, the German Microcensus, and Statistics Finland this study explores whether fields of study shape the gender wage gap differently in Germany than in Finland; two countries that display strong linkages between education and employment, but differ in the generosity of family policies. The results show that fields of study are an important source of gender wage disparities in both countries. In Germany, associations between characteristics of fields and wages do not seem to differ between the genders. In Finland, the findings suggest that women profit more than men from fields with strong linkages to occupations. Our findings highlight that research analyzing the association between fields of study and gender inequality needs to consider institutional features and gender-specific patterns.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by Leibniz Center for Science and Society (LCSS) (Germany), the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation (Finland), the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, and the Research Council of Finland (grant number: 350480 ).
