市场化能够消除歧视吗?——来自“身高溢价”的证据

Can Marketization Eliminate Labor Market Discrimination? The Evidence from Height Premium

市场化改革能改善资源配置效率,对中国的劳动力市场具有重要影响。文章使用中国家庭追踪调查2014年数据(CFPS2014),结合中国分省份市场化指数数据,分析了增进地区市场化程度对消除身高歧视的作用。结果表明:首先,我国劳动力市场存在"身高溢价"现象,即身高对收入具有显著正影响,并且身高优势有助于劳动力获得白领职业和进入具有较高职业声望的职业类别。其次,通过"中介作用"模型对其影响机理进行分析发现,身高溢价很可能是来自于劳动力市场上的雇主歧视行为,而非消费者歧视或个体在受教育水平、认知能力及非认知能力等人力资本方面的差异。最后,"身高溢价"现象具有明显的地区异质性,在相对欠发达的地区其影响更具显著性,而增进地区市场化程度能够显著降低劳动力市场的外貌特征歧视。

The phenomenon of＂height premium＂that taller adults’average wages are higher is common.Many studies have found that height raises earnings through two possible paths：the differences in human capital among different persons or the discrimination against height in the labor market.However,the research on the＂height premium＂phenomenon in China’s labor market is insufficient.On the one hand,there is no literature giving a clear economic explanation of the＂height premium＂phenomenon in the labor market of China.On the other hand,China’s labor market has its own particularity that the market-oriented reform has played an important impact in China’s labor market.And there exists great heterogeneity in the degree of marketization among different regions,but there is no literature explicitly exploring the impact of marketization on the phenomenon of height premium.Therefore,to study the problem of＂height premium＂in the labor market of China,explore the mechanism of this phenomenon,and analyze the effect of marketization on the height premium is a useful supplement to the literature.In this paper,we empirically analyze whether there is＂height premium＂in the labor market of China and explore the mechanism by using the data of 25 to 55 years old urban samples in China Family Panel Studies（CFPS2014）.Furthermore,we analyze the role of marketization in eliminating the discrimination against height by using the data of CFPS2014 and the marketization index data of China.Two additional unique contributions are a byproduct of this study.First,using national representative sample,we analyze the channels and present an explanation of this phenomenon.Second,we analyze the regional heterogeneity of the＂height premium＂and explore the effects of marketization on eliminating the discrimination against height.Firstly,this paper examines whether there exists the phenomenon of＂height premium＂in China’s labor market.The results of whole sample and subsample by gender all show that height has a significant positive impact on income,that is,the＂height premium＂phenomenon exists in China’s labor market.Specifically,theresults suggest that the increase in adult height by one centimeter is positively associated with the increase in hourly wage by nearly 1 per cent for both males and females,and this result is robust.Moreover,the advantages of height can help individuals gain a white-collar job and enter a career category with higher professional prestige.Secondly,in this paper,we analyze why there exists＂height premium＂phenomenon in China’s labor market.Then we use an＂intermediary role＂model to analyze the impact of the mechanism and find that height premium is most likely to come from the employer discrimination in labor market,rather than consumer discrimination or the differences in individual education level,cognitive skills and non-cognitive skills.Finally,based on the analysis of the existence of regional heterogeneity of the＂height premium＂phenomenon,we analyze the effect by enhancing the regional marketization degree on eliminating the discrimination against height in labor market.The regression results show that＂height premium＂phenomenon has obvious regional heterogeneity,that is,the effect is more significant in the less developed areas,and the promotion of the degree of marketization can significantly reduce labor market discrimination against appearance.Therefore,the standardization of China’s labor market,equal pay for equal work and equality of employment opportunities,and the enhancement of the investment in nutrition and health environment during the critical period of growth may have positive significance to eliminate the discriminatory behavior against height in the labor market in China.