Detailed decomposition of change in women’s black-white wage gap, education and health industry, by potential experience, for selected periods, 1979-2015
| New entrant women | ||||||
| 1979-85 | 1985-96 | 1996-00 | 2000-07 | 2007-15 | 1979-15 | |
| Total change in gap (total observables + total unobservables) | 2.48% | 4.89% | -4.81% | 0.30% | 6.72% | 4.71% |
| Contribution form: | ||||||
| Total observables (quantities + prices) | 0.75 | 3.10 | 0.36 | -1.05 | 2.85 | 5.12 |
| Total quantities (education + experience + division & metro) | 0.87 | 1.20 | -0.22 | -0.53 | 1.17 | 1.64 |
| Education | 1.35 | 1.11 | 0.07 | -0.79 | -0.44 | 0.87 |
| Experience | -0.53 | 0.73 | 0.08 | -0.46 | 1.43 | 1.03 |
| Division & metro | 0.05 | -0.64 | -0.37 | 0.73 | 0.18 | -0.27 |
| Total prices (education + experience + division & metro) | -0.12 | 1.90 | 0.58 | -0.52 | 1.68 | 3.48 |
| Education | 1.64 | 2.57 | -0.33 | -0.04 | 1.15 | 4.15 |
| Experience | -1.02 | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.40 | -0.32 | -0.04 |
| Division & metro | -0.75 | -0.74 | 0.87 | -0.89 | 0.85 | -0.63 |
| Total unobservables (discrimination + wage inequality) | 1.73 | 1.79 | -5.17 | 1.35 | 3.86 | -0.41 |
| “Quantities” (discrimination) | 0.98 | 0.57 | -4.69 | 1.11 | 2.78 | -2.55 |
| “Prices” (wage inequality) | 0.75 | 1.22 | -0.49 | 0.24 | 1.09 | 2.13 |
| Experienced women | ||||||
| 1979-85 | 1985-96 | 1996-00 | 2000-07 | 2007-15 | 1979-15 | |
| Total change in black-gap (total observables + total unobservables) | 1.08% | 8.97% | -2.50% | 2.08% | 0.93% | 11.19% |
| Contribution form: | ||||||
| Total observables (quantities + prices) | 0.35 | 1.99 | 0.06 | 0.20 | -0.07 | 2.93 |
| Total quantities (education + experience + division & metro) | -0.52 | -0.73 | -0.61 | 1.04 | -1.00 | -1.32 |
| Education | -1.44 | 0.06 | -0.17 | 0.32 | -1.33 | -1.28 |
| Experience | 0.07 | 0.01 | -0.08 | 0.04 | -0.02 | -0.03 |
| Division & metro | 0.85 | -0.80 | -0.36 | 0.69 | 0.35 | -0.01 |
| Total prices (education + experience + division & metro) | 0.87 | 2.73 | 0.66 | -0.84 | 0.93 | 4.26 |
| Education | 1.37 | 3.19 | -0.40 | -0.27 | 0.29 | 3.87 |
| Experience | -0.13 | 0.17 | 0.19 | -0.03 | -0.07 | 0.34 |
| Division & metro | -0.37 | -0.63 | 0.86 | -0.54 | 0.72 | 0.05 |
| Total unobservables (Discrimination + wage inequality) | 0.72 | 6.98 | -2.55 | 1.88 | 0.99 | 8.26 |
| “Quantities” (discrimination) | 0.75 | 6.21 | -2.42 | 1.45 | 0.05 | 6.41 |
| “Prices” (wage inequality) | -0.03 | 0.77 | -0.13 | 0.43 | 0.94 | 1.85 |
Note: Total unobservables include factors such as racial discrimination, unobservable skills, and wage inequality. Total observables include education, experience, region of residence, and metro status.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey (CPS) Outgoing Rotation Group microdata