Abstract

CADENA VACA, Mónica Yaneth. WAGE DISCRIMINATION BY GENDER: ANALYSIS OF COMPANIES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE MAIN CITIES OF BOLIVIA. Inv. y Des. [online]. 2020, vol.20, n.2, pp.25-40. ISSN 2518-4431.

This investigative work analyzes the existence of wage discrimation by gender in the three main Departments of Bolivia and in the small, medium and large urban companies. The study is based upon the theory of the human capital by Becker [1] and it applies the Oaxaca-Blinder [2] methodology for the comparison of salaries between men and women. It has been proven that there is actual wage discrimation in the three main cities as women's salaries are 17% lower than men´s despite having the same job descriptions. In a more in-depth analysis by department, women's wages are 20.2% lower in La Paz, followed by Santa Cruz where women's wages are 15.3% lower and in Cochabamba where women's wages are 14.7% lower. It has been further shown that there is a higher degree of discrimination in smaller enterprises, where salaries are 19% lower, followed by medium enterprises with wages being lower by 13% as opposed to large companies where women´s salaries are 11% lower compared to the median of salaries for men and women.

Keywords : Wage Discrimination; Gender; Human Capital Theory; Oaxaca-Blinder Methodology.