GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE CHANGING LABOR-MARKET - THE ROLE OF LEGISLATION AND INEQUALITY IN CHANGING THE WAGE GAP FOR QUALIFIED WORKERS IN THE UNITED-KINGDOM

We use detailed cohort data from three surveys of graduates to examine two explanations for the large decline in the male-female wage gap th at occurred in the United Kingdom during the early 1970s. The first at tributes the fall to gender-specific factors, most notably the introdu ction of antidiscrimination legislation. The second explanation argues that these changes were largely in response to changes in the wage st ructure and in particular to the introduction of income policies. Our findings show that for U.K. graduates, all the change in relative wage s that occurred in this period can be accounted for by gender-specific forces.