Melanie Wasserman
Assistant Professor of Economics
About
Melanie Wasserman is a labor economist whose research focuses on the mechanisms underlying gender differences in educational, occupational and labor market outcomes. Women’s entry into the labor force is one of the most noteworthy changes in the U.S. labor market over the last 40 years, and this drives the direction and scope of Wasserman’s research. A key question in her most recent work is whether a job’s non-monetary attributes influence an individual’s choice of job or career.
Topics
![Photo of Melanie Wasserman](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/melanie-wasserman.jpg)
7 Articles
![](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-logo-news-coverage-wsj.png)
Women Prefer Other Women as Mentors—Sometimes
A new study suggests that under certain conditions, the preference no longer holds
![A female surgeon looks to two nurses as a male surgeon continues to work on a patient's foot.](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/AR-thumb-docs-career-women.jpg)
Shorter Workweek Could Help Close the Gender Wage Gap
Study of medical residencies shows shift in women’s specialty choices when hours reduced
![A white woman dressed in black sits in a chair while people walk behind her.](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AR-thumb-gender-mentor.jpg)
Career Mentoring Default — Women for Women — Altered by Quality Data
A well-intentioned best practice, gender matching might not be optimal
![A women sitting in front of her laptop holding her toddler daughter](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/AR-thumb-women-summer.jpg)
Long Before COVID-19, School Summer Breaks Disrupted Women’s Careers
Households with kids ages 6 to 12 feel the interruption most
![Two students using a computer](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AR-boys-gap-hero-760x570.jpg)
Gender Gaps in School Performance
Socioeconomic factors magnify the boy-girl divide and can explain cross-race differences
![Woman walking through a courtyard](https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/AR-political-perseverence-hero-1-760x570.jpg)
Women Are Likelier to Drop Out after Early Political Loss
But the “persistence gap” in seeking elective office narrows with experience