When Will the Gender Gap in Retirement Income Narrow?

Among recent retirees, women receive substantially less retirement income from Social Security and private pensions than men. Increases in women's labor market attachment and earnings relative to men over the past 50 years provide some optimism for an improvement in female retirement income, particularly for married women. This study shows that women's income from Social Security and private pensions has improved only slightly relative to men over the past 25 years. Using data on people approaching retirement age over the next 20 years, prospects for future improvement are investigated. One of the main conclusions is that pension income among women (particularly married women) will rise sharply relative to men's over the next few decades, but a substantial gap could remain even if women close the gap in experience and salaries.

The Impact of Rising 401(k) Pension Coverage on Future Pension Income

Using data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Survey and the 1992 Survey of Consumer Finances, this study compares the level of benefits in 401(k), non-401(k) defined contribution (DC), and defined benefit (DB) plans. Based on current pension information regarding pension contribution rates or benefit formulas, it is shown that a shift to 401(k) plans will reduce the average level of pension benefits for low income workers but have relatively small effects on middle and high income workers. A shift to 401(k) plans would also increase the variance of benefits among low income workers, though the effect would be negligible for middle and high income workers.pension plan; defined benefit; defined contribution

The Growth of Participant Direction in Defined Contribution Plans

Since 1990, most pension plans have shifted the responsibility for directing pension assets to the employee. This study summarizes some of the possible explanations for this rapid shift toward participant direction and uses IRS Form 5500 data to investigate the effect of worker and plan characteristics on the likelihood of making a switch. The study also estimates the effect of a switch to participant direction on employee contribution and asset allocation behavior. The analysis reveals that collective bargaining and pension investments in employer stock reduce the chance of a switch to participant direction, whereas below average return performance increases the chance. Also, a switch to participant direction increases employee contributions to the pension and reduces the share of assets invested in employer securities.participant direction, pensions, employer stock

Is Bigger Still Better? The Decline of the Wage Premium at Large Firms

This study shows that the wage premium paid by large firms fell over the past 20 years and that the decline in the size premium has been most pronounced among the least educated work force. Empirical evidence supports several explanations for the decline in the size premium. First, there has been a convergence in the returns to worker characteristics at large and small firms over time. Second, there has been a convergence in the types of workers employed at small and large firms. Particularly important have been changes in the distribution of workers across industries and the greater rate of decline in unionism at large firms.firm size, wages, fringe benefits

When Will the Gender Gap in Retirement Income Narrow?

Among recent retirees, women receive substantially less retirement income from Social Security and private pensions than men. Increases in women’s labor market attachment and earnings relative to men over the past 50 years provide some optimism for an improvement in female retirement income, particularly for married women. This study shows that women’s income from Social Security and private pensions has improved only slightly relative to men over the past 25 years. Using data on people approaching retirement age over the next 20 years, prospects for future improvement are investigated. One of the main conclusions is that pension income among women (particularly married women) will rise sharply relative to men’s over the next few decades, but a substantial gap could remain even if women close the gap in experience and salaries.

Determinants and Effects of Employer Matching Contributions in 401(k) Plans

This paper uses data from the April 1993 Pension Supplements to the Current Population Survey to investigate the impact of employer matching and employee tenure on participation levels in 401(k) plans. While earlier studies examine similar issues, this study makes several advances. First, consistent with the theory that employers may use matching contributions to satisfy nondiscrimination rules, the study shows that correcting for the endogeneity of employer matching substantially increases the estimated effect of matching on participation levels. Second, the study provides evidence that the large positive association between employee tenure and 401(k) participation is because 'stayers' tend to be 'savers'.

Estudio sobre el régimen alimentario de algunos peces en el mediterráneo occidental

15 pages, 6 figures, 7 tablesThe occurrence and weight of food items in the stomachs of 1067 Capros aper, 669 Lepidorhombus boscii, 218 Gnatlzophis mystax, 808 Helicolenus dactylopferus dactylopterus, 145 Lepidopus caudatus y 230 Trigla lyra caught in the western Mediterranean are described by size categories and seasons. The diet of C. aper consists largely of eufausiids, copepods and other crustaceans. L. boscii feed heavily on decapod crustaceans, fishes and polychaetes. The stomach contents of G. rizystax and H. d. dactyloptevus consist of decapod crustaceans, fishes and other benthic orgsnisms. Decapoda Natantia, fishes and eufausiids form the main part of the diet of L. caudatus and T. lyra feed heavily on ofiuroids and decapod crustaceansPeer reviewe

Single walled carbon nanotube channel flow electrode : hydrodynamic voltammetry at the nanomolar level

The use of single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) band electrodes in a channel flow cell, for low concentration detection, with hydrodynamic voltammetry is reported. A two dimensional SWNT network electrode is combined with a one piece channel flow cell unit, fabricated by microstereolithography. This configuration provides well defined hydrodynamics over a wide range of volume flow rates (0.05–25 mL min− 1). Limiting current measurements, from linear sweep voltammograms, are in good agreement with the channel electrode Levich equation, for the one electron oxidation of ferrocenylmethyl trimethylammonium (FcTMA+), over a wide concentration range, 1 × 10− 8 M to 2.1 × 10− 5 M, with a detection limit of 5 nM. At the highest flow rates, some influence of the slightly recessed electrode geometry arising from the SWNT electrode fabrication is noted. However, this can be accounted for by a full simulation of the hydrodynamics and solution of the resulting convection–diffusion equation. Application of this hydrodynamic configuration to the voltammetric detection of dopamine is also demonstrated