Distributional changes in the gender wage gap in the post-apartheid South African labour market

Abstract

This paper investigates the evolution of the gender wage gap in South Africa, using the 1993-2015 Post-Apartheid Labour Market Series data set. The changes in the gap are heterogeneous across the wage distribution. There has been a substantial narrowing of the gap at the bottom of the distribution, attributable to the implementation of the minimum wage in low-paying industries However, the median gender wage gap is substantial at 23-35 per cent. This is unexplained by differences in human capital characteristics, and is not declining over time.