Wage differentials between males and females in the information and technology sector

Abstract

This research was conducted to examine the different factors that attribute to the wage gap between men and women in the information and technology sector. Three type of factors were included in the analysis: individual level (e.g. age, education etc.), structural level (e.g. the size of business, job title, etc), and gender level (e.g. sex, occupational sex segregation). The Current Population Survey (CPS) data from years 2007 to 2009 was used for the analysis. Two sample t-tests and OLS (Ordinary Least Square) regression were used to analyze the CPS data. The findings from the analysis indicate that the wage gap out of the full sample of I.T. workers is 85.4%, meaning that women are making about 85 cents to a man’s dollar. Net of other factors, being female will decrease potential earnings by $8066 per year. Women are sorted into inferior, lower paid positions than men in the information and technology sector. The variables that had the largest impact on annual earnings for the entire sample were the individual level factors, followed by structural level factors.