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The Effects of Teachers’ Unions on the Gender Pay Gap among U.S. Public School Teachers
Author(s) -
Han Eunice S.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
industrial relations: a journal of economy and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1468-232X
pISSN - 0019-8676
DOI - 10.1111/irel.12268
Subject(s) - attrition , gender pay gap , propensity score matching , gender gap , matching (statistics) , demographic economics , school district , school teachers , psychology , labour economics , political science , economics , mathematics education , medicine , wage , dentistry , pathology
This study examines the effect of teachers’ unions on the gender pay gap among teachers under various legal environments, using nationally representative district–teacher matched data. To identify union effects, I employ propensity score matching, considering both contractual status and teacher union density in each district as a treatment. I find that teachers’ unions significantly reduce the gender pay gap, and the union effects vary by legal environment. I also find that unions reduce teacher attrition for female teachers, but not for male teachers, thereby decreasing the gender pay gap by helping female teachers accumulate experience.