人力资本扩张能否缩小性别工资差距

Can Expansion of Human Capital Narrow the Gender Wage Gap

通过构建两任务部门生产模型,并借助高校扩招的准自然实验,考察了人力资本扩张对中国居民性别工资差距的影响。结果发现:人力资本扩张将男性工资提高了6.2%,女性工资提高12%,最终导致性别工资差距缩小8.4%。进一步研究发现,人力资本扩张缩小了教育年限的性别差距,由于女性教育回报率高于男性,进而导致性别工资差距降低。从异质性角度来看,人力资本扩张对服务业部门、中低收入、低学历、东部地区群体的性别工资差距影响更大。

By constructing a two-task sector production model and using the quasi-natural experiment of university enroll-ment expansion,this paper examines the impact of human capital expansion on the gender wage gap among Chinese resi-dents.It is found that the human capital expansion increased male wage earnings by 6.2%and female wage earnings by 12%,resulting in an 8.4%reduction in the gender wage gap.Further analysis shows that the expansion of human capital reduces the gender gap in years of education,and the return on education for women is higher than that for men.This differ-ence in returns to education contributes to the reduction of the gender wage gap.From a heterogeneity perspective,the im-pact of human capital expansion on the gender wage gap is more significant in the service sector,among middle-and low-income individuals,those with low levels of education,and in the eastern regions.