The wage effects of entering motherhood: a within-firm matching approach

Abstract: "We analyze the wage effects of employment breaks of women entering motherhood using a novel within-firm matching approach where mothers' wages upon return to the job are compared with those of their female colleagues within the same firm. Using an administrative German data set we investigate three different matching procedures based on information two years before birth: (1) exact matching on individual characteristics, (2) propensity score matching and (3) a combined procedure of exact and propensity score matching. Our results yield new insights into the nature of the wage penalty associated with motherhood, since we find first births to reduce women's wages by 16 to 19 percent, regardless of the matching procedure applied. Neglecting the firm identifier and matching across all firms, however, yields a wage cut of 30 percent. Furthermore, we can show that the wage loss increases with the duration of the employment break." (author's abstract)

Object Details

• Alternative title: Welche Auswirkungen hat Mutterschaft auf die Einkommenshöhe? Ein betriebsinterner Matching-Ansatz
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource, 40 S.
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Veröffentlichungsversion

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: IAB Discussion Paper: Beiträge zum wissenschaftlichen Dialog aus dem Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung ; Bd. 13/2006

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Nürnberg
• (when): 2006
• Creator: Beblo, Miriam ; Bender, Stefan ; Wolf, Elke
• Contributor: Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (IAB)

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-317988
• Rights: Open Access unbekannt; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 25.03.2025, 1:57 PM CET