| Abstract: |
This paper examines the impact of privatization on gender discrimination in
China across firms with different technology intensities. Using a
comprehensive firm-level survey, the paper identifies gender wage-productivity
differentials by directly estimating the relative productivity levels of
workers from the production function of firms. The panel structure of the
survey is taken advantage of by following firms that were fully state-owned in
the initial year, and distinguishing them from firms that were later
privatized. The main results show that privatization was associated with an
increase in relative productivity of female workers in high technology
industries, and a reduction in relative productivity of female workers in low
technology industries. Time varying coefficient results suggest that the
improvements in gender outcomes in high technology industries may not be
maintained in the long run as the relative wage and productivity ratios tend
to deteriorate, potentially due to low supply of highly educated female
workers. At the same time, outcomes in privatized low technology industries
tend to improve over time, lowering the wage and productivity gaps between
male and female workers. |