Publication type
Research Paper
Series Number
17699
Series
IZA Discussion Papers
Authors
Publication date
February 1, 2025
Summary:
We study how population variation in testosterone levels impacts male labour market earnings using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study between 2011 and 2013. We exploit genetic variation between individuals as instrumental variables following a Mendelian Randomization approach to address the endogeneity of testosterone levels. Our findings show that higher testosterone levels have a strong positive impact on earnings. Importantly, these findings are limited to men belonging to the lower quartile of the testosterone distribution and working in higher-paid jobs. We show that differences within rather than between occupations drive these findings, whereas we find limited support for selection into occupation or mechanisms involving individual characteristics, including personality traits and education.
ISSN
23659793
Subjects
Link
Related Publications
-
More testosterone means higher pay – for some men
Peter Eibich, Ricky Kanabar, Alexander Plum,Media - 20250313
-
Returns to testosterone across men’s earnings distribution in the UK
Peter Eibich, Ricky Kanabar, Alexander Plum,ISER Working Paper Series - 20250214
#588546