PAY DIFFERENCES AMONG THE HIGHLY PAID - THE MALE-FEMALE EARNINGS GAP IN LAWYERS SALARIES

This article uses very detailed information on graduates of the Univer sity of Michigan Law School to examine male-female pay differences in that population. Men and women in this population have virtually ident ical human capital on graduation from law school, allowing us to exami ne carefully the different impact of children and work history on men' s and women's careers and earnings. Taking time from work in order to care for children reduces wages significantly, but a rich set of contr ols, including childcare, work history, school performance, and job se tting measures, still leave one-fourth to one-third of the earnings ga p unexplained.