Abstract: In this paper, we examine changes of the gender wage gaps across the whole distribution in Hong Kong using census data of 1981 and 2006. We present clear evidence of economic restructuring from manufacturing to services in Hong Kong and propose a new decomposition method to study the effect of economic restructuring on changes of gender wage gaps across the whole distribution. We have two main findings. First, female workers at lower positions and at higher positions of the wage distribution both benefit from economic restructuring. Second, female workers at higher positions benefit more from economic restructuring but are greatly hindered by unobserved factors such as the Confucian tradition. The consequence is that overall gender wage gaps at higher positions reduce slightly.
JEL classification: J16, J31, J71
