Gender labor segregation

Date and country of first publication

2022
United States

Definition

Gender labor segregation refers to the unequal distribution of women and men across different occupations and industries. It is the phenomenon where certain jobs and industries are dominated by one gender, while the other gender is underrepresented or excluded. This segregation can be observed in various sectors such as healthcare, education, engineering, construction, and finance.

Historically, gender labor segregation has been influenced by social norms, stereotypes, and discrimination that have limited women's access to certain positions and professions. For example, women have traditionally been steered towards careers in healthcare, teaching, and administrative roles, while men have been encouraged to pursue careers in STEM fields, management, and higher-paying professions.

The consequences of gender labor segregation are manifold. It perpetuates gender inequalities in terms of pay, career advancement opportunities, and overall economic empowerment. Occupations that are predominantly held by women tend to have lower wages and less prestige, while those dominated by men are often higher-paying and higher-status. This contributes to the gender pay gap and reinforces gender stereotypes.

Efforts to address gender labor segregation include promoting equal access to education and training for both genders, challenging societal stereotypes and biases, implementing diversity and inclusion policies in workplaces, and encouraging women's participation in male-dominated fields and vice versa. These efforts aim to create a more equitable and diversified labor market, where individuals are not limited by their gender when choosing and pursuing their careers.

Synonyms

The following terms are synonymous with gender labor segregation:

gendered labor segregation.

References and literature addressing this segregation form under these synonymous terms can be found below.

Related segregation forms

Gender labor segregation is frequently discussed in the literature with the following segregation forms:

gender segregation

This visualization is based on the study The Multidisciplinary Landscape of Segregation Research.

For the complete network of interrelated segregation forms, please refer to:

• First year of publication

• Louvain clusters

• Betweenness centrality

• Disciplines in which segregation forms first emerged (Scopus database).

Gender labor segregation appears in the following literature

Puzio A., Valshtein T. (2022). Gender Segregation in Culturally Feminized Work: Theory and Evidence of Boys’ Capacity for Care. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 23(3), 271-284. American Psychological Association.https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000397