Blau & Kahn 2017 — The gender wage gap: extent, trends, and explanations

What the study found

Blau and Kahn analysed U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics data covering 1980 to 2010 to measure the size of the gender wage gap and test which factors explain it. By 2010, they found that conventional human-capital measures such as education and work experience together accounted for little of the remaining gap, while differences in occupation and industry stayed important, no single factor explained the gap entirely, and experimental evidence meant discrimination could not be discounted as a contributor. ^[1]

by 2010, conventional human capital variables taken together explained little of the gender wage gap, while gender differences in occupation and industry continued to be important

^[1]

Why it matters here

The claim that the gender pay gap is a "myth" often rests on the argument that the raw gap disappears once education, hours, and job choice are accounted for. This peer-reviewed synthesis finds that a measurable gap persisted even after standard adjustments, and that experimental evidence means discrimination cannot be ruled out as one contributor. It does not attribute the whole gap to discrimination, and it treats occupational and industry sorting as a major factor. It is cited on is the gender pay gap a myth? as evidence on how much of the gap remains unexplained.