Abstract To obtain a more complete understanding of the persisting gender earnings gap in Germany, this paper investigates both the cross‐sectional and lifetime dimension of gender inequalities. Based on a dynamic microsimulation model, we analyse how gender differences accumulate over work lives to examine the lifetime dimension of the gender gap. We estimate an average gender gap in lifetime earnings of 51.5 per cent for birth cohorts 1964–72. We show that this unadjusted gender lifetime earnings gap increases strongly with the number of children, ranging from 17.3 per cent for childless women to 68.0 per cent for women with three or more children. Results from a counterfactual analysis approach show an adjusted gender gap in lifetime earnings of around 10 per cent, suggesting that the gender gap in lifetime earnings is rather driven by gender differences in observable characteristics than by differences in rewards.

Rick Glaubitz

Astrid Harnack‐Eber

Miriam Wetter

Labour

LABOUR provides a forum for analysis and debate on issues concerning labour economics and industrial relations. The Journal publishes high quality contributions which combine economic theory and statistical methodology in order to analyse behaviour, institutions and policies relevant to the labour market.

The journal Labour provides a forum for the analysis and discussion of issues related to labour economics and industrial relations. It publishes high-quality contributions that integrate economic theory and statistical methodology to analyze behaviors, institutions, and policies relevant to the labor market.

《Labour》期刊提供了一个分析和讨论劳动经济学及工业关系相关问题的论坛。该期刊发表高质量的研究成果，结合经济理论和统计方法，以分析与劳动市场相关的行为、机构和政策。

The gender gap in lifetime earnings: A microsimulation approach

ivySCI AI Smartly Parses PDF, Answers Researchers' Questions, and Helps You Understand Papers in Seconds

Journal Info

Category	Quartile
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS & LABOR	4