Occupational Segregation and the Gender Wage Gap: A Job Half Done

Hegewisch, Ariane; Hartmann, Heidi

Occupational Segregation and the Gender Wage Gap: A Job Half Done

Abstract

[Excerpt] This paper begins by reviewing trends in occupational segregation during the past several decades, showing that after significant change during the 1980s and early 1990s, further progress in occupational integration has stalled across the board during the last decade for women and men with different levels of education, in different race/ethnic groups, and in different age cohorts. Just as there has been no progress in occupational integration during the 2000s, there has been no further progress towards equal pay, with the two trends showing an inverse relationship over time (as job segregation declined, equal pay increased). While this paper finds a clear wage penalty for work in predominantly female occupations, for both women and men, it also finds that this earnings penalty differs significantly between highly skilled and other occupations. The paper ends with a discussion of possible explanations of these findings and recommendations for policy change.

Date Issued

2014-01-01

Keywords

occupational segregation; gender wage gap; pay equity

Types

unassigned