What Is Discrimination? Gender in the American Economic Association, 1935-2004

摘要

Fifty years ago Gary S. Becker (1957) set out the definition of discrimination used by economists today: a premium required to interact with a member of some group when that person is, except for group membership, identical to other individuals who are not discriminated against. This concept has generated an immense empirical literature designed to measure the extent of market discrimination (see, e.g., Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn, 2000, on gender discrimination). This study presents an example that seems to indicate irrational discrimination against one group (men) and in favor of women. We show, however, that the same facts are consistent with rational preferences in favor of women, or with irrational discrimination against this seemingly favored group.