/prod01/channel_8/media/scu-dep/current-students/images/Coffs-harbour_student-group_20220616_33.jpg)
/prod01/channel_8/media/scu-dep/current-students/services/counselling/images/RS21533_English-College-Student_20191210_DSC_6961.jpg)
/prod01/channel_8/media/scu-dep/study/scholarships/images/STEPHANIE-PORTO-108-2.jpg)
/prod01/channel_8/media/scu-dep/study/arts-and-humanities/images/RS20958_Chin-Yung-Pang-Andy_20190309__79I5562-960X540.jpg)
/prod01/channel_8/media/scu-dep/experience/images/SCU-INTNL-STUDY-GUIDE-280422-256.jpg)
/prod01/channel_8/media/dep-site-assets/component-library/screenshots/online-1X1.jpg)
View all news
Catholic women earn higher wages
Categories
Share
Catholic women earn higher wages, according to new research from Southern Cross University.
The study was conducted by Dr Michael Kortt, a senior lecturer in the Southern Cross Business School, in conjunction with Professor Brian Dollery and Dr Bligh Grant from the University of New England.
The researchers used data from the Household, Income Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) survey to examine the relationship between religious affiliation and wages for Australian women.
The research, published in the journal Economic Papers: A journal of applied economics and policy found that Catholic women between the age of 25 and 54 benefited from a wage premium of 4.5 per cent compared to their Anglican counterparts even after controlling for a range of demographic, social and economic factors.
“Potential explanations such as the attitude of women towards work and returns to years of school and work experience do not appear to be major determinants in this observed wage differential,” Dr Kortt said.
“The study offers a number of explanations as to why Catholic women earn more in the labour market.
“First, being raised a Catholic may have a direct productivity pay-off as it may add to an individual’s stock of human capital by fostering characteristics such as discipline that may be rewarded by the labour market.
“Second, being raised a Catholic may act as a signal to potential employers that Catholic women have certain desirable traits, such as trustworthiness.”
Dr Kortt said that the reasons behind the observed wage differential required further research to understand the impact of religious upbringing on female labour market outcomes.
The results took into account factors such as: age, years of education, work experience, marital status, number of siblings, Indigenous status, father’s occupational status when the respondent was 14, and whether the respondent was born overseas, or resides in a major city.
The research correlates with a previous study conducted by Dr Kortt and Professor Dollery, which found that Catholic men also earned higher wages compared to their Protestant counterparts.
Photo: Dr Michael Kortt.
The study was conducted by Dr Michael Kortt, a senior lecturer in the Southern Cross Business School, in conjunction with Professor Brian Dollery and Dr Bligh Grant from the University of New England.
The researchers used data from the Household, Income Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) survey to examine the relationship between religious affiliation and wages for Australian women.
The research, published in the journal Economic Papers: A journal of applied economics and policy found that Catholic women between the age of 25 and 54 benefited from a wage premium of 4.5 per cent compared to their Anglican counterparts even after controlling for a range of demographic, social and economic factors.
“Potential explanations such as the attitude of women towards work and returns to years of school and work experience do not appear to be major determinants in this observed wage differential,” Dr Kortt said.
“The study offers a number of explanations as to why Catholic women earn more in the labour market.
“First, being raised a Catholic may have a direct productivity pay-off as it may add to an individual’s stock of human capital by fostering characteristics such as discipline that may be rewarded by the labour market.
“Second, being raised a Catholic may act as a signal to potential employers that Catholic women have certain desirable traits, such as trustworthiness.”
Dr Kortt said that the reasons behind the observed wage differential required further research to understand the impact of religious upbringing on female labour market outcomes.
The results took into account factors such as: age, years of education, work experience, marital status, number of siblings, Indigenous status, father’s occupational status when the respondent was 14, and whether the respondent was born overseas, or resides in a major city.
The research correlates with a previous study conducted by Dr Kortt and Professor Dollery, which found that Catholic men also earned higher wages compared to their Protestant counterparts.
Photo: Dr Michael Kortt.