The gender earnings gap in the German nursing labor market: a case of selection?

In 2011, female nurses in Germany made 87 Cent for every 1 Euro a male nurse made. Using data from the BIBB/BAuA-Employment Survey, we examine how much of this female-male earnings gap can be explained by differences in human capital characteristics and selection into work settings, and how much of this earnings gap can be accounted for by occupational selection. First, we estimate a Mincer wage regression with an extensive set of demographic and work characteristics. Second, we estimate a two-step Heckman selection model to test for robustness and to gain insight into the effect of occupational selection in the German nursing labor market.

Ulrike Muench is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at Vanderbilt University.