Gender earnings differentials in urban China by region and their changes during the first decade of economic reform are examined. It is found that the female-male earnings ratio increased during the early stage of reform. The male earnings premium, overall, showed an increasing trend in the...

We develop a rationale for the payment by firms of a wage premium on marginal, or overtime, weekly hours. We examine wage-hours contracts within the framework of a two-period specific human capital model with asymmetric information. The wage premium serves to achieve contract efficiency. For...