The dynamics of social stability: Gender inequality in the labor market in West Germany, 1975--1995

The thesis is concerned with social change in gender inequality in the labor market in Germany between 1975 and 1995. Using a recently issued public use file of social security records with longitudinal earnings data of well over half a million persons, I analyze gender inequality in earnings and participation in three different steps. Step one consists in trend analyses of the entire German work force and explores inequality in earnings overall, and changes in the occupational structure. The gender wage gap among full-time workers was stable throughout most of the period but begins to narrow in the late eighties. Cross-sections of the labor force do riot show any increase in earnings inequality. Changes in the occupational structure account for about half of the recent narrowing of the gender gap. Step two attempts to disentangle various factors thought to be important in determining wages in the framework of a life cycle design, comparing multivariate wage regressions for men and women born between 1950 and 1960 at age 35. An increase in part-time work is the only factor where gender inequality in work history, job, and employer characteristics increased across cohorts. Its negative impact is counteracted by declines in inequality in education, and occupational and industrial restructuring, resulting in a small decline in the observed gender gap. Step three develops measures of gender inequality in the labor market in the framework of a life course design, comparing the same birth cohorts from age 25 to 35. Cumulative measures show that gender inequality in wages is much greater than in the cross-section, but declines much faster. They also show substantial convergence of men's and women's labor force participation patterns, and increasing inequality in participation and cumulative wages among men. Education becomes more important for differentiation of labor force participation patterns among women. Differences between the three sets of findings are explained by social change in the life course of the 11 birth cohorts that is invisible in the cross-section. Implications for research and social policy are discussed in the conclusion.