Analysis of wage differences between men and women in Paraná in 2012 and 2019

Abstract

In this study, we aim to examine the disparities in earnings among different income levels based on gender in the state of Paraná during the years 2012 and 2019. Our methodology employs the Quantile Decomposition framework presented by Firpo et al. (2018) using microdata from the PNADC. The results indicate that despite an increase in women’s participation in the Paraná labor market during the analyzed period, women still earned, on average, less than men in both 2012 and 2019, with a reduction in the earnings gap over time. By analyzing the impact of observable characteristics, we found a trend of narrowing this disparity with women earning higher average salaries across all quantiles of analysis. Our findings suggest that the majority of this earnings gap can be attributed to unobserved characteristics, indicating discrimination in the Paraná labor market.