Past studies demonstrating differences between male and female labor forces to explain women's lower earnings are challenged in the present study, which asked: (1) whether such differences explain the gap, (2) to what extent the differences themselves are caused by (cumulative) discrimination, and (3) whether circular reasoning produced past…

Responses from 227 of 389 female and 161 of 333 male college business seniors found that, although expecting similar starting salaries, women anticipate considerably lower earnings in subsequent years. The difference was not explained by the number of years women planned to be in the labor force. (SK)

A survey of two cohorts of men and women who received Ph.D. degrees did not support hypotheses that the lower earnings of the women were due to their voluntary decisions, e.g., career interruptions. It was concluded that this study confirmed and extended other recent research that discrimination is a major source of sex differentials. (MF)

Women's expectations of high rates of return to investment in higher education, particularly in nontraditional fields and in those requiring advanced degrees, are shown to be consistent with high levels of investment in these fields. Increasing workforce participation and decreasing fertility also contribute toward reducing the female-male…