The Gender Earning Gap in Bolivia: An Analysis from 1993 to 2018

In Bolivia, women working in similar positions as men face lower remunerations, besides being concentrated in low-paid jobs. This paper sheds lights over the gender labor income gap evolution in Bolivia over a 25-year period (1993 to 2018). Using household surveys and applying two different methods, the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition and the Nopo decomposition, we find sound evidence of an important reduction in the gender labor income gap during the analyzed period. This reduction is due to, firstly, the reduction of the number of observable characteristics affecting the labor market such as education and the impact of family characteristics on access to employment. Secondly, it shows the reduction in the unexplained component, which is usually assumed to be discrimination.