The gender gap among top business executives

Wolfgang Keller, Teresa Molina and William Olney

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2023, vol. 211, issue C, 270-286

Abstract: This paper examines gender differences among top US business executives using a large executive-employer matched data set spanning the last quarter century. Female executives make up 6% of the sample and exhibit more labor market churning – both higher entry and higher exit rates. Unconditionally, women earn 26% less than men, which decreases to 8% once executive characteristics, firm characteristics, and in particular job title are accounted for. We find that female executives are disproportionately represented in firms with more temporal flexibility and female-friendly corporate cultures, but this does not explain the gender pay gap. Rather, corporate culture is correlated with gender pay gaps within firms; specifically the within-firm gender pay gap is significantly smaller at female-friendly firms.

Keywords: Executive compensation; Gender pay gap; Corporate culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F16 J16 J24 J33 J82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives (2020)
Working Paper: The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives (2020)
Working Paper: The Gender Gap Among Top Business Executives (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:211:y:2023:i:c:p:270-286

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2023.04.017

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