Women's Wages: Cohort Differences in Returns to Education and Training Over Time

This article examines the effects of education and work-related training on wage-growth trajectories for two cohorts of women as they aged from their early 20s and 30s into their early 30 s and 40 s. I test whether occupational training compensates for an earlier lack of education, thereby decreasing earnings inequality over time within cohorts. Because the broader economic context may influence the relationship between wages, education, and training, I test the assumption that the experiences of a given cohort may be generalized to others. Copyright (c) 2005 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.