Size and Causes of the Occupational Gender Wage-gap in the Netherlands

Research from the United States consistently shows that female-dominated occupations generally yield lower wages than male-dominated occupations. Using detailed occupational data, this study analyses the size andcauses of this occupational genderwage-gap in theDutch labourmarket using multi-levelmodelling techniques.The analyses show that bothmen andwomen earn lowerwages if they are employed in female-dominated occupations.This especially indicates the signi¢cance of gender inWestern labour markets, since overall levels of wage inequality are relatively small in the Netherlands compared to, for example, the United Kingdom and the United States. Di¡erences in required responsibility are particularly important in accounting for this occupational wage-gap. Nonetheless, we ¢nd large wage penalties for working in a female-dominated instead of a male-dominated occupation for occupations that require high levels of education, skills, and responsibility