Occupational Segregation

According to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau figures for full-time, year-round workers, women today earn 770 on the male dollar. A voluminous scholarly literature exists to explain the existence and persistence of the pay gap, but gender and labor scholars agree that a significant portion of the gap is due to occupational sex segregation. Estimates range from 35 percent to 89 percent, with some consensus that approximately two thirds of the pay gap is due to occupational sex segregation. In short, women tend to be employed in female-dominated occupations, like teaching, nursing, and social work, in which wages are lower, and men tend to be employed in male-dominated occupations, like engineering, medicine, and law, in which wages are higher. This entry defines occupational sex segregation, traces trends over time, examines explanations for the existence and persistence of the phenomenon, and presents policies and practices designed to reduce or eliminate occupational sex segregation.

Occupational sex segregation is defined more broadly as the differential distribution of women and men across different occupations, jobs, and places of work. Recent research indicates a trend toward intraoccupational sex segregation, or resegregation. For example, women are close to achieving parity in medical degrees, but male physicians are far more likely to become surgeons, and female physicians are far more likely to become pediatricians. In addition, male physicians are more likely to be employed in lucrative private practices, whereas female physicians are more likely to work in less lucrative practices, such as government or managed-care companies.

The index of occupational sex segregation represents the proportion of female (or male) workers who would have to change to an occupation for the sexes to be evenly distributed across occupations. An index of 0 is perfect integration, and an index of 100 is perfect segregation. In 2000, the index of occupational sex segregation was 52.1. In other words, 52.1 percent of the female labor force (approximately 39 million women) would have to shift to disproportionately male occupations to achieve occupational integration.

U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reveal that women are underrepresented in higher-status occupations, making up only 9.7 percent of engineers, 32.6 percent of physicians, 31.8 percent of dentists, and 34.1 percent of partners in major law firms. However, women are overrepresented in traditionally female professions that have also historically been accorded less status. For example, women make up 98.4 percent of prekinder-garten and kindergarten teachers, 91 percent of registered nurses, 83 percent of librarians, 81.5 percent of elementary school teachers, and 70.3 percent of social workers.