TRACKING THE GENDER PAY GAP: A CASE STUDY

This article provides a short introduction to standard considerations in the formal study of wages and illustrates the use of multiple regression and resampling simulation approaches in a case study of faculty salaries at one university. Multiple regression is especially beneficial where it provides information on strength of association, specific dollar estimates, and the option to identify outliers by gender. Resampling simulation allows for analysis at the department level and is beneficial where distributions depart substantially from normal, particularly where there are unequal error variances. Results indicate that both regression and simulation methods provided evidence of a sizable pay gap associated with gender, even after controlling for rank, academic field, and years of service. The gap occurs in fields traditionally viewed as female as well as science fields with typically lower female representation. Finally, we discuss implications for remediation based on these models.     

Rational Choice, Deterrence, and Theoretical Integration

The old version of rational choice theory is that people engage in conscious and deliberate cost–benefit analysis such that they maximize the values and minimize the costs of their actions. The new version of rational choice theory is that people intuit the values and costs of an action; but because they are imperfect processors of information, they pursue what they perceive as most satisfying. The possibility that legal punishments deter is consistent with the new version of rational choice theory, which can be used to integrate deterrence with other criminological theories, such as strain and social learning. An integrated theory of deterrence is presented and tested with experimental data.