Using Longitudinal Data to Explore the Gender Gap for Academic Economists

Abstract

There are widespread gender inequities within the economics discipline. In this paper, we collect and analyze new longitudinal salary and personnel data from top economics departments at public institutions. A panel spanning 2005 to 2018 allows us to follow individuals and facilitates the examination of gender gaps in career progression, salary growth, and mobility. Using these data, we document the growth of salary gender gaps with the length of time in the profession, emerging roughly 10 years after the start of one's career. Some of these gaps are attributable to women moving through academic ranks more slowly than men.