The gender wage gap in Switzerland over time

Abstract

This article analyzes the gender wage gap in Switzerland, using data from the Swiss Household Panel. The results show that women in Switzerland earn still less than men with the same endowments. One of the main reasons for this gap is occupational segregation: women and men working in femaledominated occupations have lower wages than those in integrated and male-dominated occupations. In order to have equally distributed job categories, 40% of the male or female employees would need to change jobs. But the "preferences" for jobs between genders seem to have been frozen for decades. The gender wage gap is particularly large within part-time employees working below 50%. Younger cohorts, however, seem less exposed to gender wage differentials.