Can non-cognitive skills explain the gender wage gap in Russia? An unconditional quantile regression approach

International Journal of Manpower. 2025. Vol. 46. No. 8. P. 1526–1545.

Rozhkova K., Yemelina N., Roshchin S.

Purpose: This paper disentangles the complex relationship between non-cognitive skills and the gender wage gap across wage distribution.

Design/methodology/approach: RIF regressions and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition for 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile of wage distribution are applied. Data are collected from a nationally representative Russian survey RLMS-HSE and include detailed information on individuals aged 20–60. We use the Big Five factor model, locus of control, and attitudes towards risk to represent non-cognitive skills. 

Findings: Our findings suggest that non-cognitive skills explain from 2.0 to 8.1 per cent of the gender wage gap, although significant variation is observed with different measures of personality and across the wage distribution. They are especially significant for the upper part of the wage distribution. However, even after the inclusion of personality, a large fraction of the gap remains unexplained. 

Originality/value: This paper explores the contribution of non-cognitive skills to various labour market outcomes. In particular, it adds to the limited literature dedicated to the effect of non-cognitive skills on the gender gap across wage distribution, which is primarily focused on high-income Western countries. 

Keywords: wage distribution, non-cognitive skills, gender wage gap