Carole A. Green

Estimating the parameters of a household production function with joint products

By estimating the parameters of a production function whose inputs consist of family time and market goods, the authors offer some new microeconomic estimates of the value of production that takes place in the home and also examine the concept of joint production-that is, the degree to which time devoted to home production simultaneously serves as leisure. They find evidence of substantial jointness between home production time and leisure, the degree of which is greater for wives than for husbands; and that both husband and wife possess human capital skills more productive in market work than in home work.

Gender Differences in Economic Knowledge: A Reevaluation of the Evidence

This study examines the importance and significance of male-female differences in understanding and learning economics and attempts to assess whether the use of multiple choice questions, rather than essay questions, contributes to these measured differences. Do multiple choice questions favor men with their possibly superior spatial and numerical skills? Do essay questions favor women with their possibly superior verbal skills? Evidence based on a study involving 589 students using an examination including both types of questions is analyzed in this article.

Traditional or Reverse Sex Discrimination? A Case Study of a Large Public University

This study assesses the extent and causes of recent sex discrimination in academic positions at a large public university. Performing multiple regression analysis on data for all individuals hired for full-time faculty positions during the academic years 1975–76 through 1978–79 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the authors find that women are paid less (

Do Detailed Work Histories Help to Explain Gender and Race/Ethnic Wage Differentials?

2,200 less, on average) than men when such usual criteria as highest degree, experience, number of publications, honors, and field are held constant. They find no evidence that this gap closes over time. Using multiple probit analysis, the authors find, in addition, that women are less likely to be hired in tenure-track positions. Then, using discriminant analysis as an alternate method, they find that articles published is the largest contributing factor to high academic rank, but that sex is also a significant factor. The authors conclude that, despite suspicions to the contrary, their evidence shows no effective affirmative action in faculty employment.

Homemakers' Imputed Wages: Results of the Heckman Technique Compared with Women's Own Estimates

The continuing gender and race/ethnic pay gaps continue to be a matter of considerable concern. Using detailed NLSY data we examine the effects of a number of variables often thought to explain a large part of these gaps. Because the new variables explain some of the differentials our results provide no justification for ascribing all the remaining differentials to discrimination. On the other hand, they explain very little and therefore give no support to those who would discount the possibility of discrimination.

Race, Ethnicity, And Social Security Retirement Age In The Us

Three estimates of potential earnings of women not in the labor force, based on two data sets, were obtained (1) by using the coefficients from the regression of employed women with characteristics of the homemaker, (2) by using Heckmans adjustment for selection bias, and (3) by using the womens own views of potential earnings. The second approach yielded lower estimates than the first, as expected. The third estimate was found to be considerably higher than the second, suggesting that simple adjustment for selection bias may not be useful for the opportunity cost approach to valuation of housework.

Employment Discrimination: An Empirical Test of Forward Versus Reverse Regression

This study uses the AHEAD survey to examine the effects of increasing the Social Security retirement age in the United States by modeling the labor force participation decisions of men and women over the age of 65. Separate probit analyses by gender with interaction terms indicate that race/ethnicity is only marginally important in these decisions after controlling for key factors such as health, physical and mental disabilities, education, and nonlabor income. However, detailed examination reveals highly significant differences by race and ethnicity in all of these critical factors, as well as in the distribution of previous occupations. Although elderly blacks and Hispanics have greater financial need than whites, they have significantly less ability to continue working for pay. Thus, seemingly race- and ethnicity-neutral policies such as increasing the full Social Security retirement age may have disproportionate negative effects on elderly members of minority groups in the US.

The Long-Term Impact of Labor Market Interruptions: How Crucial is Timing?

Using data on faculty salaries at a large university, we follow a methodology suggested by Goldberger to conduct an empirical test of the Conway-Roberts proposition that reverse and not forward regression is the proper way to detect salary discrimination. We obtained 11 different estimates of the amount of salary discrimination. Not only are these estimates statistically inconsistent, but they are also at variance with the estimate derived from the composite reverse regression. Therefore we conclude that, in light of the econometric modeling used, reverse regression does not yield an unbiased estimate of salary discrimination.

Reconciling Work and Family Responsibilities: Practical Ideas from Global Experience

Abstract In this day of two earner and single adult families many women and a small but growing minority of men face the decision whether and when to drop out of the labor force for a time, most often in order to take care of young children or in some cases of elderly family members. In addition, both women and men face the risk of occasional interruptions in their labor force participation when they are unable to find a job. In this study we use the NLSY79 data to investigate the long run effects on earnings of dropping out of the labor force and/or of being unemployed during the first 15 years of the careers of men and women firmly attached to the labor force, with particular attention to the importance of the timing of these interruptions. After controlling for numerous relevant factors, we find no significant negative impact on wage growth associated with time out of the labor force either early on or later, but do find that unemployment during the second half of the period has such effects both for men and for women.In this day of two earner and single adult families many women and a small but growing minority of men face the decision whether and when to drop out of the labor force for a time, most often in order to take care of young children or in some cases of elderly family members. In addition, both women and men face the risk of occasional interruptions in their labor force participation when they are unable to find a job. In this study we use the NLSY79 data to investigate the long run effects on earnings of dropping out of the labor force and/or of being unemployed during the first 15 years of the careers of men and women firmly attached to the labor force, with particular attention to the importance of the timing of these interruptions. After controlling for numerous relevant factors, we find no significant negative impact on wage growth associated with time out of the labor force either early on or later, but do find that unemployment during the second half of the period has such effects both for men and for women.

Relative risk aversion among the elderly

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