Trends in Male Earnings Inequality

Abstract

This study uses newly available time series data on the U.S. earnings distribution to analyze trends in male earnings inequality between 1958 and 1977. The major finding is that the observed slow upward trend in earnings inequality is well explained by a small number of plausible economic factors. The paper has four parts. Part II briefly reviews related time series research on both earnings and income inequality. Male earnings inequality is considered from the human capital perspective in section III, and from a less structured approach in section IV. The last section is a summary and conclusion.