Relation between Health and Wages in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects of health on the hourly wages of women and men in Turkey by using panel data. The data are used to estimate the earning function, where the natural logarithm of hourly wage is the function of individual characteristics, including health. This work complements previous studies by using a panel in which the education variable, measured by the degree obtained, varies over time and therefore it can be estimated through the within estimator. One of the most important observations of this study is that very good and/or good self-assessed health status has a positive effect on wages more for women than for men. Another important finding is that of significant difference in the rate of return to education, which is higher for women than for men.

Key words: Self-assessed health, Health limitation, Wages, Panel data, Fixed effects, Turkey.

JEL: J01.

Veza između zdravlja i zarada u Turskoj

Cilj ovog istraživanja je da proceni efekat zdravlja na zaradu po času rada žena i muškaraca u Turskoj upotrebom panel podataka. Podaci su upotrebljeni za procenu funkcije zarade, gde je prirodni logaritam zarade po času rada zapravo funkcija individualnih karakteristika, uključujući zdravlje. Ovaj rad dopunjuje prethodne studije upotrebom panela gde varijabla obrazovanje, merena ostvarenim stepenom, može da varira tokom vremena na osnovu čega se može izvesti ocena kroz i unutar grupe. Jedna od najvažnijih zapažanja ovog istraživanja je u tome što veoma dobro i/ili dobro samo po sebi procenjuje da zdravstveno stanje ima pozitivan efekat na zarade više kod žena nego kod muškaraca. Drugi važan zaključak je u značajnim razlikama u stopi prinosa na obrazovanje, što je više za žene nego za muškarce.

Ključne reči: Samoprocena zdravlja, zdravstveno ograničenje, zarade, panel podaci, fiksni efekti, Turska.