Volume 29, Number 2 (Spring) 1994

Even, William E., and David A. Macpherson. 1994. "Gender Differences in Pensions." Journal of Human Resources 29(2): 555-587.

The causes of gender differences in pensions are examined for retirees and employees using the 1982 Newly Entitled Beneficiary Survey, and the 1979 and 1988 May Current Population Surveys. For both retirees and the employed population, much of the gender gap in coverage is accounted for by gender differences in labor market characteristics. While children and marriage have a negative effect on female coverage among retirees even after controlling for labor market characteristics, the negative effect is not observed among more recent groups of female employees. Finally, recent convergence of male and female labor market characteristics contributed to a decline in the coverage gap during the 1980s.

William Even is an Associate Professor of Economics and Associate Director of the Center for Pension and Retirement Research at Miami University. David Macpherson is an Associate Professor of Economics and a Research Affiliate of the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy at Florida State University. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the February 1991 Donner Foundation Workshop on the Economic Well-Being of Women and Children held at the University of Minnesota Industrial Relations Center. Part of this work was completed while David Macpherson was at Miami University. The authors appreciate the helpful comments provided by Barry Hirsch and Alice Nakamura, and Professor Even gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Miami University Faculty research Committee. The data used in this article can be obtained beginning in August 1994 through August 1997 from David Macpherson at the Department of Economics, Florida State University.