Job Search by Unemployed Women: Determinants of the Asking Wage

摘要

The study uses actural observations of reservation wages from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Women who were 35 to 49 years of age in 1972 to examine the job search behavior of unemployed women. Their asking wages correspond both to labor market parameters and to their own circumstances. Variables reflecting wage expectations and unemployment duration are usually statistically significant in the anticipated directions. The model is estimated with a two-stage least squares procedure. Unemployed women substantially reduce their reservation wages as the period of their unemployment progresses. Recipients of unemployment insurance report asking wages that are substantially higher than those for other unemployed women.