Inequality in the rewards for holding up half the sky: Gender wage gaps in China's urban labour market, 1988-1994

Until now, information about gender-based wage differences in China, home of the world's largest labour force, has been derived from small surveys that produce inconsistent results. Reliable information about gender pay equity in China can come only from information about much larger numbers of workers. This study offers the first analysis of wage differences between Chinese men and women that covers a large segment of China's immense urban work-force. The results provide clear evidence that women earn substantially less than men. Controlling for location, ownership and economic sector reduces but by no means eliminates the gender-based wage gap. We find considerable evidence that the ratio of women's wages to men's earnings declined during 1988-1994.