ACCOUNTING FOR THE MALE-FEMALE WAGE GAP AMONG WHITES - 1976 AND 1985

Using detailed information on employment history and training on-the-j ob from the 1976 and 1985 interviews of the Panel Study of Income Dyna mics, I examine how differences in these factors account for the wage gap between White men and White women. The percent of the wage gap exp lained by differences in the explanatory variables increased slightly during this period-from 37 percent in 1976 to 42 percent in 1985. Diff erences in average years of tenure, total years employed full time, an d years out of the labor force since leaving school accounted for almo st all of the explained difference. However, over 50 percent of the wa ge gap remains unexplained.