Degree Year
2010
Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Economics
Advisor(s)
Barbara Craig
Ellis Tallman
Keywords
Sexual orientation, Earnings, Discrimination, Gay, Lesbian, Queer
Abstract
Using General Social Survey data from 1989 to 2008, I estimate earnings differentials between heterosexual and queer workers. When following the model specified in earlier studies, I find that queer men earn between 11.6% less than their heterosexual counterparts and that queer women earned approximately 11.6% more than their heterosexual counterparts. When respecifying the model to account for the gender composition of individuals’ occupations, I find that queer men’s earnings are not statistically different from straight men’s earnings, and the earnings advantage enjoyed by queer women drops marginally, to 10.5%. This addition significantly improves upon the explanatory power of the existing model. These findings undermine earlier results, indicating that earnings differentials are not as drastic as has been posited. Much of the differential found in earlier studies can be attributed to occupational characteristics rather than labor market discrimination.
Repository Citation
Lytton, Mikayla, "Narrowing the Gap: New Evidence on Earnings Differentials Based on Sexual Orientation" (2010). Honors Papers. 386.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors/386
