Gender Differentials of Indian Knowledge and Service Workers in the US Labour Market: A Comparative Analysis in the Context of ‘Age, Wage, and Vintage’ Premia

Abstract

This chapter examines the gender differentials of Indian high-skilled (or knowledge workers) and low-skilled (or service workers) in the US labour market for the year 2014 in comparison to those of the Chinese, Asians, foreign-born persons and natives. The gender differentials are analysed in the context of three premia, viz. ‘age, wage and vintage’ as distinct parts of skill premium in the skill-biased technological change (SBTC). Five significant results have been derived: (i) The Indian female knowledge workers dominate in comparison to other female counterparts; (ii) The share of Indian younger females is lowest; (iii) The percentage share of Indian female to male wage; (iv) The percentage share of Indian females with a bachelor’s degree and above was 68%, which was not far below that of Indian males at 73%; and (v) The higher shares of Indian female population with higher embodied human capital did not assure their greater participation in the high-skilled segment of the labour market, as compared to their other counterpart females, due to their higher family responsibilities including looking after children, which adversely affect their participation in the US labour market and their wages. Thus, gender inequality is not only an important issue in the country of origin, like India, but also in the country of destination, like the United States. This calls for the need to establish a comprehensive linkage between gender, migration and development in the context of the agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as pronounced by the UN for 2016–2030.