The Earnings Effects of Sexual Orientation
Open accessAbstract
This investigation of the effect of sexual orientation on earnings employs General Social Survey data from 1989–96. Depending largely on the definition of sexual orientation used, earnings are estimated as having been between 14% and 16% lower for gay men than for heterosexual men, and between 20% and 34% higher for lesbian women than for heterosexual women. This evidence, the authors suggest, is consistent with either of two complementary constructions: Gary Becker's argument that male/female earnings differentials are rooted in specialization within households and in optimal human capital accumulation decisions individuals make when they are young; and Claudia Goldin's observations about marriage-based gender discrimination, according to which the paternalistic “protection” of wives and mothers from the world of work has tended to overlook lesbians.
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Several studies use recent sexual behavior as their measure of the LGB community.
“As several studies use recent sexual behavior as their measure of the LGB community”
From Intersections between Sexual Identity, Sexual Attraction, and Sexual Behavior among a Nationally Representative Sample of American Men and Women (2019) · cites this paper as Black et al. 2003
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References 16 · Cited by 294
- Authors
- Black, D. A., Makar, H. R., Sanders, S. G., & Taylor, L. J.
- ORCID
- Sanders, Seth G.
- Venue
- Industrial and Labor Relations Review
- Publisher
- JSTOR
- Published
- 2003-04
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 449
- ISSN
- 0019-7939 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2152330183
- Cited by
- 294
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 21.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Industrial and Labor Relations Review (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DukeSpace (Duke University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Keywords
- sexual orientation, earnings, gay men, lesbians, wage discrimination, gender discrimination, household specialization, human capital accumulation, marriage, women's employment, sexual orientation measurement
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