Women have, on average, been less well-paid than men throughout history. Prior to 1900, most economic historians see the gender wage gap as a reflection of men's greater strength and correspondingly higher productivity. This paper investigates the gender wage gap in cigar making around 1900....

type="main" <p>Women have typically been paid less than men throughout history. We investigate earnings in Swedish cigar making around 1900. Strength was unimportant, yet the gender wage gap was large. Differences in characteristics, such as age and experience, and different jobs within firms,...</p>

Why do certain firms prosper and grow old while other firms fail? Established knowledge tells us that it is related to the firm’s ability to adapt to market conditions, for example through product diversification, learning-by-doing, and through the adoption of new strategies regarding...