Effects of physical characteristics on labor income in Ecuador, 2012
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Copyright (c) 2017 Semestre Económico Universidad de Medellín
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Published: March 1, 2017
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to analyze the effects that physical characteristics of workers have over wages in the Ecuadorian labor market. Using micro data information taken from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey of Ecuador, Mincer equations are estimated relating the wage income per hour and socioeconomic characteristics of the worker variables. Given that survey data present an implicit problem called selection bias, which consists in lack of randomness within the survey respondents, a Heckman anti-bias equation is used in order to correct this issue. Results show that those taller and heavier individuals, as well as those that have higher body-mass, tend to have higher wages. These results are consistent even between genders, geographic areas and educational levels.
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Cawley, J. (2000). An instrumental variables approach to measuring the effect of body weight on employment disability. En: Health Services Research, Vol. 35, No. 5 (Pt 2), p. 1159–1179.
Chen, A. (2012). Cover image When does weight matter most? En: Journal of Health Economics Vol. 31, No. 1, p. 285–295.
Dinda, S.; Gangopadhyay, P. K.; Chattopadhyay, B. P.; Saiyed, H. N.; Pal, M. y Bharati, P. (2006). Height, weight and earnings among coalminers in India. En: Economics y Human Biology, Vol. 4, No. 3, p. 342-350.
Espinoza, N., y Sánchez, L. (2009). Estimación de la brecha salarial entre hombres y mujeres: un análisis por cuantiles para el Ecuador. En Económicas Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL). Vol. 4. p. 2-20.
Esquivel, V. (2007). Género y Diferenciales de Salarios en la Argentina, p. 363-392. En: M. Novick y H. Palomino (edits.) Estructura productiva y empleo: un enfoque transversal. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social. ISBN 978-84-96571-68-6, 397p.
Gao W., Smyth R. (2010). Health human capital, height and wages in China. En: The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 46, No. 3, p. 466–484.
Hamermesh, D.S. y Biddle, J., (1994). Beauty and the labor market. En: The American Economic Review, Vol. 84, No. 5, p. 1174–1194.
Hamermesh, D.S. y Parker, A. (2003). Beauty in the classroom: professors’ pulchritude and putative pedagogical productivity. En: NBER Working Paper, No. 9853, 21p.
Heckman, J. (1979). Sample selection bias as a specification error. En: Econometrica, Vol. 47 No 1, p.153–161.
Heineck, G. (2005). Up in the skies? The relationship between body height and earnings in Germany. En: Labour, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 469-489.
Komlos, J., (1998). Shrinking in a growing economy? The mystery of physical height during the industrial revolution. En: The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 58, No. 3, p. 779–803.
Mincer, J. (1974). Schooling, Experience and Earnings. En National Bureau of Economic Research, ISBN: 0-870-14265-8. 187p.
Mitra, A. (2001). Effects of physical attributes on the wages of males and females. En: Applied Economics Letters, Vol. 8, No. 11, p. 731-735.
Persico, N.G.; Postlewaite, A. y Silveman, D. (2004). The effect of adolescent experience on labour market outcomes: the case of height. En: Journal Political Economy, Vol. 112, No. 5, p. 1019–1053.
Psacharopoulos, G. y Patrinos H. (2004). Returns to investment in education: a further update. En: Education economics, Vol 12, No 2, p. 111-134.
Rivera, J. (2013). Teoría y práctica de la discriminación en el mercado laboral ecuatoriano (2007-2012). En: Analítika. Vol. 5, No 1, p. 3-18.
Schultz, P.T. (2002). Wage gains associated with height as a form of health human capital, En: Economic Growth Center Discussion Paper. No. 841, 26p.
Sohn K. (2015). The height premium in Indonesia. En: Economics & Human Biology, Vol. 16, enero, p. 1–15.
Tao H.L. (2014). Height, weight, and entry earnings of female graduates in Taiwan. En: Economics in Human Biology, Vol. 13, marzo, p. 85–98.
Thomas, D. y Strauss, J. (1997). Health and wages: Evidence on men and women in urban Brazil. En: Journal of Econometrics, Vol. 77, No. 1, p. 159-185.
Yamamura, E.; Smyth, R. y Zhang, Y. (2015). Decomposing the effect of height on income in China: The role of market and political channels. En: Economics in Human Biology, Vol.19, diciembre, p. 62-74.
