Measurement of the gender salary gap: an approach through the literature review.

Abstract

The pay gap can have a pay inequality origin, in this case women would receive a different payment for doing the same work or work of equal value as men, but this discriminatory treatment is legally sanctioned and is considered a crime if it is applied to people based on their sex. It is therefore important to understand that the concept of the gap is much broader, and includes other factors that explain wage inequality, such as the feminization of part-time jobs or the well-known glass ceiling. Since the wage gap is a fact, to combat it it is necessary to quantify it, to determine what mathematical model underlies the different gross hourly wages of men and women, what variables are used in these calculations and whether there are different methodologies to be applied. The main objective of the article is to carry out a systematic review report on the existing research on wage gap calculation methodology in order to compile the theories that quantify the gender wage gap, explain its reasons and promote different solutions to eradicate it. After carrying out this review, it can be seen that there is no unanimous consensus in the research community on the breakdown of the gender pay gap, but all the studies agree that the pay gap is not only explained by the differences in the characteristics of men and women; there is also a residual part of greater or lesser amount that would come to represent the labor and wage discrimination experienced by women in the labor market.