Gender wage gap in STEM and Non-STEM professionals in Mexico, 2005-2025
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This research examines the evolution and underlying mechanisms of the gender wage gap among Mexican professionals, comparing STEM and Non-STEM university graduates over a 21-year period (2005-2025). Data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE) were analyzed using the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique, corrected for self-selection arising from the employment decision. The findings reveal that the gender wage gap is larger and to the disadvantage of women in the STEM sector, while in the Non-STEM sector, the difference remains slightly in favor of women. The evidence strongly suggests that, in scientific and technological fields, wage inequality does not originate in observable human capital differences, but rather in a structural differential valuation of women’s skills and competencies. This differential valuation likely reflects mechanisms of implicit discrimination operating in highly specialized occupations.
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