RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Why Are the Returns to Schooling Higher for Women than for Men? JF Journal of Human Resources JO J Hum Resour FD University of Wisconsin Press SP 969 OP 988 DO 10.3368/jhr.XL.4.969 VO XL IS 4 A1 Dougherty, Christopher YR 2005 UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XL/4/969.abstract AB Many studies have found that the impact of schooling on earnings is greater for females than for males, despite the fact that females tend to earn less, both absolutely and controlling for personal characteristics. This study investigates possible reasons for this effect, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979–. One explanation is that education appears to have a double effect on the earnings of women. It increases their skills and productivity, as it does with men, and in addition it appears to reduce the gap in male and female earnings attributable to factors such as discrimination, tastes, and circumstances. The latter appear to account for about half of the differential in the returns to schooling.