Does everyone earn what they deserve to? The first edition of the Cologne Women in Economics (WiE) Discussion Series, co-hosted by the Reinhard Selten Institute – ECONtribute Center of Excellence, explored whether women earn less because they expect to earn less.
The event was attended by an active audience of around 70 researchers, students and members of the public with an introduction of the Reinhard Selten Equal Opportunity Talks given by Prof. Dr. Matthias Heinz from the University of Cologne. Matthias’ research focuses on the causal effects of management practices (e.g., bonus schemes, employee referral programs or managerial attention) on firm performance in field experiments in firms.
The ReStart Reinhard Selten Equal Opportunity Talksgather experts to discuss gender equality and to engage a broad audience from the scientific community and the interested public. Similary to WiE they use their events to deepen scientific discussions of equality and to build new and constructive of networks among researchers, professionals, students and policy-makers.
Larissa Fuchs (Head of Finance & Funds) gave the audience an overview of WiE’s goals, strategies, events and research. The initiative was well-received with many questions/discussion concerning the events that WiE holds, with further opportunities for cooperation discussed. This includes the ECONtribute Diversity Week scheduled for later this year.
Prof. Dr. Pia Pinger then gave the keynote presentation on research regarding the relationship between expected and actual wage differences between men and women. In their recent paper “Gender Differences in Wage Expectations: Sorting, Children, and Negotiation Styles”, Pia and her colleagues presented evidence from a survey on over 15,000 students regarding gender differences in expected wages before labour market entry.
They found that (ceteris paribus) men have higher wage expectations than women and that over the course of a lifetime this amounts to more than 500,000 EUR in actual wage differences. Women’s lower expectations of wages before entering the job market was the third strongest predictor of the wage gap, following choice of occupation and parenting expectations.
Overall the event was successful in bringing together a diverse range of people to discuss the causes and consequences of gender inequality. WiE would like to thank the organisers and attendees for their involvement and we look forward to continuing the discussion further at our next event.
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