Question 1

Which of the following is true about those graduating with college degrees?

Accepted Answer

A) The proportion of college degrees earned by women has been declining in recent decades. 
B) The proportion of college degrees earned by women has been virtually constant during the last four decades. 
C) In 2008, only about 42 percent of those graduating from college were women. 
D) In 2008, only about 42 percent of those graduating from college were men.

Question 2

If an employer could really hire women who were willing and able to do the same work as men for 20 percent less, profit-seeking employers would have

Accepted Answer

A) a strong incentive to hire more women, which would shrink this differential. 
B) little incentive to hire women, since hiring men would still be more profitable. 
C) a strong incentive to hire fewer women, and this would reduce the wage gap between men and women. 
D) a strong incentive to hire fewer women, which would expand the wage gap between men and women to an even higher level.

Question 3

When employment discrimination results from the personal prejudices of employers, economic theory suggests that

Accepted Answer

A) competitive forces will tend to reduce discrimination. 
B) the wages of employees who are discriminated against will rise. 
C) an employer who discriminates will have the same costs as those who do not discriminate. 
D) discrimination by an employer will reduce production costs since the employer can pay lower wages.

Question 4

Since 1980, the female/male annual earnings ratio of full-time workers has been ____, while the labor force participation rate of women has been ____ during this same period.

Accepted Answer

A) rising; declining 
B) rising; increasing 
C) falling; increasing 
D) falling; declining

Question 5

During the decade following the passage of the 1962 equal pay legislation and the 1964 civil rights legislation,

Accepted Answer

A) the male/female wage differential became much smaller. 
B) the male/female wage differential became much larger. 
C) there was little change in the earnings of women relative to men. 
D) the educational choices of women and men became less similar.

Question 6

When employment discrimination results from the personal prejudices of employers,

Accepted Answer

A) only legal requirements will be able to reduce the amount of employment discrimination. 
B) competitive markets will generally tend to promote discrimination as firms try to lower their costs to increase their profits. 
C) competitive markets will tend to make it costly for employers to discriminate, reducing the amount of discrimination. 
D) none of the above will be true.

Question 7

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Due to anti-employment discrimination legislation that was passed in the early 1960s, there was a large increase in the earnings of women relative to men in the 1960s and 1970s. 
B) The female/male earnings ratio for full-time workers has been virtually constant since 1980. 
C) The number of women preparing for careers as professionals has increased substantially since the 1980s. 
D) In recent years only about 40 percent of those completing college degrees were women.

Exam 24: Appendix: Earnings Differences Between Men and Women