| N.º 21/22 | 2014 5 Wage differentials by gender in the tourist industry of Brazil CARLA REGINA FERREIRA FREIRE GUIMARÃES * [ carlafreire@hotmail.com ] JOAQUIM RAMOS SILVA ** [ jrsilva@iseg.utl.pt ] Keywords | Brazil, Wage differentials, Gender, Tourism related activities. Tourism is increasingly becoming one of the main economic activities in the contemporary world, involving amounts that evidence a greater participation in the Gross Domestic Product of many countries. This industry promotes development and employment, and boosts the level of income if explored in the right way. Notwithstanding the expanding role of tourism in the economic performance of many countries and regions across the world as a driving force of economic growth, there are not much works in the literature that measure its labour market, especially as regards wage differentials in the sector. Taking into account the characteristics of income inequality of the country, it was wondered if there are significant wage differentials among female and male workers in Brazilian tourism related activities (TRA). Is there wage discrimination to the detriment of women? With this research one aimed at dealing with these core issues, and to respond to the technical and scientific scant approaches existing within the industry of tourism. Moreover, one strives to increase the knowledge about tourism planning instruments, private sector initiatives and public policies, and especially the design of policies regarding the development of this industry and employment. This study aims at the analysis of wage gaps by gender in tourism related activities in 2012. It was intended to examine wage differentials in order to identify the variables that determine the evolution of wages in these activities. More specifically, the profile of employees in the Brazilian tourism sector is described according to their gender, and it is investigated if there are significant wage gaps among workers of the TRA from this perspective. If they occur, which are the determinants of such gaps? The case study is based on Brazil. The data have been provided by the micro-data of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), available through the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) for the year of 2012. According to IBGE (2012), tourism related activities include the hospitality industry (e.g. hotels and restaurants), transportation (airways, railway, roads, waterways, metropolitan, and supporting services), travel and associated agencies, rent-a-car and other mobile services, and activities of leisure, culture and sports. A descriptive analysis of the conditions prevailing in the TRA labour market was previously made. The breakdown of Oaxaca (1973) and Blinder (1973) was used to measure the differentials by gender of these workers. * PhD student in Economics at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon. Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics of the State University of Santa Cruz, Brazil. Member of the Research Centre SOCIUS. ** PhD in Economic Policy and Analysis from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris. Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Master in International Economics and European Studies at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon. Member of the Research Centre SOCIUS.