Comparing the Causes of Variation in the Female-Male Wage Ratio in 2009 and 2013

The goal of this study is to compare the causes of variation in the female-male wage ratio across states in the recession year of 2009 and the non-recession year of 2013. The female-male wage ratio is the ratio of females’ wages to males’ wages. I estimate the effects of education differences between the genders, unionization, and the states’ minimum wages on the female-male wage ratio. I find that in both 2009 and 2013, education differences and unionization help to explain variation in the ratio