Gender Wage Inequalities between Historical Heritage and Structural Adjustments: A German-German Comparison over Time

Abstract

While research on the gender pay gap (GPG) is growing, there is little evidence on the stability or convergence of GPGs against the backdrop of sudden historical changes. Taking advantage of German reunification, after which western male-breadwinner policies were superimposed on the hitherto gender egalitarian East, we illuminate this research gap. Using decompositions on the Socio-economic Panel, we examine how historically grown gender arrangements influence the GPG in eastern and western Germany 1990-2013. We find support for the concept of a stalled gender revolution and a continued influence of pre-unification gender arrangements on the German GPG.