Discrimination in the Payment of Full-Time Wage Premiums

Abstract

This study investigates how many hours must be worked per week in order for workers in different race and gender groups to receive a high-hours (full-time) wage premium. An analysis of 1989 Current Population Survey data shows that across occupations, both white and black men received a full-time wage premium for working at least 33 hours per week, whereas white women had to work at least 37 hours and black women at least 39 hours to receive the premium. Controlling for occupation changes the threshold for black women to 33 hours, but does not change the results for the other groups. The authors find that the observed differences account for, at most, two percentage points of the wage differentials across race and gender.