Differences in income from labor between men and women with college education in large cities

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the difference in income between working men and women with college degrees in the various metropolitan regions in Brazil. The study is based on two factors: a) although the difference between men’s and women’s incomes has fallen over the last decade, they are nevertheless still considerable, and are part of the context of enormous variations in income, where the differences in schooling carry considerable weight. In this respect, college-educated persons earn considerably more, and the difference between such incomes and those earned by persons with lower educational levels have become even greater over the last decade; b) the greatest differences in income between men and women are found among persons with college degrees, which is exactly the bracket where women show the greatest presence. This article analyzes the changes that occurred during the 1990s and the levels and dispersion of incomes of working persons, and shows differences according to gender, educational level and position in the occupation. The article also refers to a specific study, regarding the year 2004, on the differences in income between men and women with college degrees, according to position in the occupation and sector of activity. The type of occupation is also considered (managers in general, professionals in the arts and sciences, high-school level technicians, workers in administrative services, and other occupations) are similar to the hierarchy of positions. The source of data is the National Household Survey by Sample (PNAD/IBGE).