About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

56 Indus. & Lab. Rel. Rev. 449 (2002-2003)
The Earnings Effect of Sexual Orientation

handle is hein.journals/ialrr56 and id is 451 raw text is: THE EARNINGS EFFECTS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION DAN A. BLACK, HODA R. MAKAR, SETH G. SANDERS, and LOWELLJ. TAYLOR* 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 observa- tions 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. T he past decade has been marked by a significant amount of public policy debate and legislation regarding gay and lesbian Americans. For example, initia- tives designed to prohibit discrimination or, conversely, to prohibit civil rights pro- tection based on sexual orientation have been debated at virtually all levels of gov- ernment. For the most part, public dis- *Dan Black is Professor of Economics at Syracuse University, Hoda Makar contributed to this paper while she was completing an M.A. in Sociology at the University of Chicago, Seth Sanders is Associate Pro- fessor of Economics at the University of Maryland, and Lowell Taylor is Professor of Economics at the Heinz School, Carnegie Mellon University. The au- thors gratefully acknowledge research support from NICHD Grant HD3703-01 430. They thank partici- pants at the 1999 Conference on the Economics of Sex Roles and the Family at the University of Texas at Austin for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. Programs used to generate key results are avail- able from Professor Black, Center for Policy Research, 426 Eggers Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-1020. course on these issues has not been in- formed or supported by empirical work that uses probability samples. The problem for social scientists seeking to understand issues related to sexual ori- entation is that much of the research in the study of gays and lesbians is conducted using small convenience samples. These samples are often drawn from readers of particular magazines or newspapers, or re- sponses solicited from Internet sites or in gay bars. Often these samples do not in- clude comparison groups of heterosexual individuals.' The problem, of course, has been the absence of large systematic data sets that include information on sexual orientation. 1Blumstein and Schwartz's (1983) landmark work, American Couples, while not employing a random sample (the sample consisted of volunteers recruited in various ways), was based on data collected from comparable heterosexual and homosexual couples using the same instruments. It represented an impor- tant advance in the study of gays and lesbians. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 56, No. 3 (April 2003). © by Cornell University. 0019-7939/00/5603 $01.00

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most