Understanding the Gender Wage Gap Among City Managers

Abstract

We examine the gender wage gap among city managers, a high-skilled, male dominated occupation, using original data from employment contracts in Florida. The Oaxaca-Blinder wage decomposition results indicate a gen-der wage differential among city managers of approximately 0.06-0.11 log points, or 6.3-11.7%. Approximately 80% of the wage differential is explained by differences in observed characteristics, leaving 20% of the gap unexplained. This translates to an unexplained wage premium of 1.5 to 3.8% for men. The wage differential is highest among first time managers and is virtually eliminated for those with prior experience as a city manager. The results are encouraging but also highlight the potential role of pay transparency pol-icies and the importance of increasing women’s representa-tion in the field. (JEL J16, J31, J71, H83)