Associate Dean Steve Allen Lends Expertise on Gender Wage Gap

Steve Allen, a professor of economics at N.C. State University and associate dean for graduate programs at Poole College, spoke with Carolina Public Press regarding the gender wage gap in North Carolina.

The subsequent article, published in the Raleigh News & Observer, included Allen’s suggestion that the wage gap exists because of breaks in attachment to the labor market and, in some cases, gender discrimination.

The break in the labor market is often caused by parental leave. About 22 percent of women list child care problems or family obligations as reasons for part-time work or choosing to be stay-at-home parents, according to the report. In contrast, only 4 percent of men list these reasons for part-time work or gaps in employment. When women choose to reenter the workforce after parental leave, some difficulties may arise.

“Some professions are easier to enter, exit and come back later than others,” Allen said. “Those where the knowledge and skills transfer across employers, like teaching and nursing, have smaller wage gaps. Those where inside-the-firm skills and networks matter the most have the largest gaps.” Read article on News & Observer.