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The aim of this paper is to determine the size, structure, and significance
of the differences in wages between men and women during the early
transition in Serbia in the 2000s. During that period, a new legislative
framework was established in the field of labour relations, which enabled
greater liberalisation in the labour market and resulted in a reduction in
the activity rate, especially of women. Following the experiences of other
post-transition countries, it may be expected that economic and social
changes caused by the transitional shocks may stimulate different behaviours
in the labour market of both the employers, through their impact on
determination of wages, and the labour force, through workers? choice to
remain or to permanently exit the labour market. This could affect not only
the deepening of gender differences, but also the emergence of
discrimination in wage setting. The paper applies the parametric sample
selection model, on the basis of which the probability of women?s
participation in the labour market is estimated, as well as the wage
functions of men and women. Data from the Living Standards Measurement
Survey for 2002 and 2007 are used. Theoretically expected results are
obtained; children and marital status with a negative sign, and sources of
non-working income with a positive sign influence the probability of women?s
participation in the labour force. The estimated equations of wages of men
and women indicate differences in the structure of wages, which provides the
basis for the application of the statistical procedure for the decomposition
of the gender wage gap. Examination of the initial hypothesis revealed the
presence of a significant gender wage gap, which was the largest in 2002
(10.96%), falling to 5.97% in 2007. The gender wage gap in Serbia cannot be
explained by the differences in the observed characteristics of men and
women, since they act in the direction of reducing the overall gap and their
effect is stable, amounting to between -5.51% (2002) and -5.43% (2007).
Therefore, the decline in the gender wage gap is the result of reducing the
gap in the unexplained part from 17.43% (2002) to 12.06% (2007). Over the
observed period, the unexplained part of the gender wage gap remains
persistent and leaves room for consideration of the potential effects of
discrimination and possible directions of public policy.

Presents facts about the gender wage gap, covering the battle for equal pay, factors that affect it, and the policies intended to fix the problem

Der durchschnittliche effektive Stundenlohnunterschied zwischen erwerbstätigen Frauen und Männern zwischen 15 und 65 Jahren betrug im Jahr 2006 etwa 28 Prozent. Bei diesem Vergleich wird aber vernachlässigt, dass Frauen beispielsweise in anderen Branchen oder Berufen arbeiten oder dass es Unterschiede hinsichtlich des Qualifikationsniveaus gibt. Hinzu kommt, dass Männer häufiger eine Vollzeiterwerbstätigkeit ausüben. Werden die Lohnunterschiede zwischen Frauen und Männern hinsichtlich dieser Einflussfaktoren korrigiert, so reduziert sich der Lohnabstand auf 15 Prozent. Ein wichtiger Grund für die Lohnunterschiede sind auch die kindbedingten Erwerbsunterbrechungen, die häufiger die Frauen betreffen. Kehren Frauen nach einer Erwerbsunterbrechung jedoch möglichst schnell und mit einer hohen Stundenzahl in den Beruf zurück, so reduziert dies die Lohnlücke zusätzlich. Der Lohnabstand dieser Gruppe zu den Männern beträgt nur noch 6 Prozent. Die Familienpolitik kann somit einen Beitrag zur Reduzierung der Lohnlücke leisten, indem die Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf durch einen Ausbau der Kinderbetreuungsplätze erleichtert wird.

Vietnam is under pressure to reduce the size of the state sector. Using the Vietnam Living Standards Survey 1997-98, the paper examines the impact of this change on the gender earnings gap. Women have traditionally been over-represented in the state sector. After exiting the state sector, some seek jobs in the private sector. Estimation of separate earnings equations by sector suggests that the gender pay gaps in the state-owned enterprises and the private sector are comparable. One may then conclude that women's relative economic position may not have worsened significantly. However, Appleton's decomposition (1999) has demonstrated that the gender pay gap would be much wider if men and women were equally distributed between state and private sectors. Given that further downsizing is planned, it is important to increase women's human capital to reduce their vulnerability. Equal pay legislation and paid maternity leave are some policies that can reduce within-sector earnings inequality.

Vietnam is under pressure to reduce the size of the state sector. Using the Vietnam Living Standards Survey 1997-98, the paper examines the impact of this change on the gender earnings gap. Women have traditionally been over-represented in the state sector. After exiting the state sector, some seek jobs in the private sector. Estimation of separate earnings equations by sector suggests that the gender pay gaps in the state-owned enterprises and the private sector are comparable. One may then conclude that women's relative economic position may not have worsened significantly. However, Appleton's decomposition (1999) has demonstrated that the gender pay gap would be much wider if men and women were equally distributed between state and private sectors. Given that further downsizing is planned, it is important to increase women's human capital to reduce their vulnerability. Equal pay legislation and paid maternity leave are some policies that can reduce within-sector earnings inequality.

There are several theoretical reasons why globalization will have a narrowing as well as a widening effect on the gender wage gap, but little is known about the actual impact, except for some country studies. This study contributes to the literature in three respects. First, it is a large cross-country study of the impact of globalization on the gender wage gap. Second, it employs the rarely used ILO October Inquiry database, which is the most far-ranging survey of wages around the world. Third, it focuses on the within-occupation gender wage gap, an alternative to the commonly used raw and residual wage gaps as a measure of the gender wage gap. This study finds that the occupational gender wage gap tends to decrease with increasing economic development, at least in richer countries, and to decrease with trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) in richer countries, but finds little evidence that trade and FDI also reduce the occupational gender wage gap in poorer countries.