Ceteris non paribus: The intersectionality of gender, race, and region in the gender wage gap

The concept of the gender wage gap has received considerable attention in the literature, particularly in the U.S. context. Many analyses put forth various factors that explain the variation in wages across genders. However, we extend this knowledge to link the gender wage gap with the theoretical framework of intersectionality. Specifically, the current analysis focuses on the intersection between gender, race, and region to explain the variation in gender wage gap across the United States. Through difference in means tests as well as linear regression, we show that region has an independent effect on explaining the gap in pay between men and women. We employ data from the National Women's Law Center that quantifies the wage gap for each state for various racial groups. By employing this type of data, it allows us to move beyond the existence of the wage gap and analyze the effect of region as well as offer a test of the intersectionality argument. Findings show that region does play a role in the wage gap, even when accounting for economic and demographic characteristics of the state.