Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Measuring the Gender Wage Gap in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The Appalachian region has historically struggled to adjust to the changing economy of the U.S. Previous research has shown that women face greater economic hardship than men in the region. While Appalachian workers have been shown to face a pay gap with respect to similar non-Appalachian workers, no study has attempted to measure the gender gap within Appalachia. Using the 2010-2014 American Community Survey, this paper measures the gender wage gap within the Appalachian region in three stages. First, OLS regression is employed to gain a statistical understanding of the association between gender and wages and how gender interacts with other factors, such as education, race, and occupation. Second, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition methods are also used to estimate the relative effect that observed factors have on the gap. Finally, quantile regression is used to decompose the gap across the income distribution.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Brandon Vick is an economist whose research focuses on measuring disparities in well-being. He has consulted with the World Bank and WHO analyzing poverty differences for people with disabilities in developing countries and recently published a paper on the Veteran wage gap in the US.
Measuring the Gender Wage Gap in Appalachia
The Appalachian region has historically struggled to adjust to the changing economy of the U.S. Previous research has shown that women face greater economic hardship than men in the region. While Appalachian workers have been shown to face a pay gap with respect to similar non-Appalachian workers, no study has attempted to measure the gender gap within Appalachia. Using the 2010-2014 American Community Survey, this paper measures the gender wage gap within the Appalachian region in three stages. First, OLS regression is employed to gain a statistical understanding of the association between gender and wages and how gender interacts with other factors, such as education, race, and occupation. Second, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition methods are also used to estimate the relative effect that observed factors have on the gap. Finally, quantile regression is used to decompose the gap across the income distribution.
