Gender and Occupational Segregation

Wong, Yan Ling Anne; Charles, Maria

doi:10.1002/9781119315063.ch16

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…The standard sociological account of such segregation treats it as a premodern relic that should gradually disappear as educational opportunities are equalized, egalitarian gender attitudes diffuse, overt and covert forms of employer discrimination are rooted out, and family-friendly workplaces and related labor market reforms are instituted ( 1 , 2 ). Between 1970 and 1990, these types of institutional reforms indeed seemed to be bearing fruit, with most late-industrial countries experiencing sharp declines in segregation ( 3 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The intergenerational sources of the U-turn in gender segregation

Grusky

2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In the early 1970s, the balkanization of the US labor market into “men’s occupations” and “women’s occupations” began to unravel, as women entered the professions and other male-typed sectors in record numbers. This decline in gender segregation continued on for several decades but then suddenly stalled at the turn of the century and shows no signs of resuming. Although the stall is itself undisputed, its sources remain unclear. Using nearly a half-century of data from the General Social Survey, we show that a resurgence in segregation-inducing forms of intergenerational transmission stands behind the recent stall. Far from serving as impartial conduits, fathers are now disproportionately conveying male-typed occupations to their sons, whereas mothers are effectively gender-neutral in their transmission outcomes. This segregative turn among fathers accounts for 47% of the stall in the gender segregation trend (between 2000 and 2018), while the earlier integrative turn among fathers accounts for 34% of the initial downturn in segregation (between 1972 and 1999). It follows that a U-turn in intergenerational processes lies behind the U-turn in gender segregation.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

The intergenerational sources of the U-turn in gender segregation

Grusky

2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Supporting these results, research has shown that gender differences using “interest in math careers” as a predictor of future major subjects are greater in countries with higher gender equality, with both men and women being, on average, less interested in mathematics than those in other countries ( Goldman and Penner, 2016 ; Charles, 2017 ; Breda et al, 2020 ). The same pattern is observed in the job market, where horizontal segregation is more pronounced in more gender-equal environments ( Blackburn and Jarman, 2006 ; Wong and Charles, 2020 ). Several investigations have documented this phenomenon and concluded that “Scandinavian countries are notable for their exceptionally high degrees of segregation” despite their advancement in gender equality ( Jarman et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Linking gender differences with gender equality: A systematic-narrative literature review of basic skills and personality

Balducci

2023

Front. Psychol.

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There is controversy regarding whether gender differences are smaller or larger in societies that promote gender equality highlighting the need for an integrated analysis. This review examines literature correlating, on a national level, gender differences in basic skills—mathematics, science (including attitudes and anxiety), and reading—as well as personality, to gender equality indicators. The aim is to assess the cross-national pattern of these differences when linked to measures of gender equality and explore new explanatory variables that can shed light on this linkage. The review was based on quantitative research relating country-level measures of gender differences to gender equality composite indices and specific indicators. The findings show that the mathematics gender gap from the PISA and TIMMS assessments, is not linked to composite indices and specific indicators, but gender differences are larger in gender-equal countries for reading, mathematics attitudes, and personality (Big Five, HEXACO, Basic Human Values, and Vocational Interests). Research on science and overall scores (mathematics, science, and reading considered together) is inconclusive. It is proposed that the paradox in reading results from the interrelation between basic skills and the attempt to increase girls’ mathematics abilities both acting simultaneously while the paradox in mathematics attitudes might be explained by girls being less exposed to mathematics than boys. On the other hand, a more nuanced understanding of the gender equality paradox in personality is advanced, in which a gene–environment-cultural interplay accounts for the phenomenon. Challenges for future cross-national research are discussed.

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“…The GGGI (World Economic Forum, 2020) benchmarks women's disadvantage, relative to men's, in economic, education, health, and political arenas. Thus, GGGI reflects cross-cultural variation in vertical segregation (Wong & Charles, 2020), with scores ranging from 0 (gender disparity) to 1 (gender parity).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two types of gender segregation may distally drive gender gaps in self-views. Whereas vertical segregation is the underrepresentation of women in powerful and high-status roles, horizontal segregation is the clustering of women and men in occupations of similar status but differing demands (Charles, 1992; Wong & Charles, 2020). Importantly, both vertical and horizontal segregation should drive gender gaps in self-views insofar as both concentrate men in roles requiring agency and competitiveness and women in roles requiring communality and social skills (Croft et al, 2015; Eagly et al, 2020).…”

Section: Explaining Gendered Self-viewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gendered Self-Views Across 62 Countries: A Test of Competing Models

Kosakowska‐Berezecka

Bosson

Jurek

et al. 2022

Social Psychological and Personality Science

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Social role theory posits that binary gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in less egalitarian countries, reflecting these countries’ more pronounced sex-based power divisions. Conversely, evolutionary and self-construal theorists suggest that gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in more egalitarian countries, reflecting the greater autonomy support and flexible self-construction processes present in these countries. Using data from 62 countries ( N = 28,640), we examine binary gender gaps in agentic and communal self-views as a function of country-level objective gender equality (the Global Gender Gap Index) and subjective distributions of social power (the Power Distance Index). Findings show that in more egalitarian countries, gender gaps in agency are smaller and gender gaps in communality are larger. These patterns are driven primarily by cross-country differences in men’s self-views and by the Power Distance Index (PDI) more robustly than the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI). We consider possible causes and implications of these findings.

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Gender and Occupational Segregation

Cited by 8 publications

References 90 publications

The intergenerational sources of the U-turn in gender segregation

The intergenerational sources of the U-turn in gender segregation

Linking gender differences with gender equality: A systematic-narrative literature review of basic skills and personality

Gendered Self-Views Across 62 Countries: A Test of Competing Models

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