The Class Pay Gap in Prominent Occupations in Peru

Rentería M.; Elguera S. · Revista Espanola de Investigaciones Sociologicas (2025) · DOI: 10.5477/cis/reis.189.109-130

Resumen

This article seeks to contribute to the study of pay gaps in Latin America, focusing on differences based on social class. Using household surveys, salary differences between individuals working in the most prominent occupations in Peru are analyzed. It is found that social origin determines significant differences in remuneration in the highest income sectors. It is also seen that only 44 % of the pay disparity originating from social background can be explained by observable traits of individuals from the dominant class. Education, specifically, the type of higher education institution attended, emerges as the most relevant factor in understanding the class pay gap.