Abstract

The expansion of higher education across the globe changed the dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion during the last century. As a result of the increase in higher-education enrollment, societies have reduced social gaps in education and labor. Moreover, higher-education expansion policies have led to a diversification in the quality of higher-education institutions and workforce configurations, which has allowed for the increased participation of women in the education and labor market. Evidence on higher-education expansion has shown only a minor decrease in gender gaps in the labor market. One explanation is the presence of credential market configuration, where degrees signal social status. This research focuses on how educational credentialism affects the gender wage gap, using the CASEN Household Survey of Chile. It aims to assess the effects of a credential on earnings, using a regression framework and data set between 2013 and 2017. The results point to a differential effect of credentials across genders, interpreted as a systematic bias toward human capital pricings, with particular effects on the gender wage gap.