Gender segregation in the labour market : root causes, implications and policy responses in the EU

Abstract

The aim of this report is to analyse employment segregation for women and men in the European labour market at both the sectoral and occupational levels. It provides a comparative analysis of trends in segregation across the 27 EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and examines the root causes of the phenomenon, the consequences, and current and desirable policy responses. Gender-based employment segregation is so pervasive that distinctions have multiplied in order to facilitate analysis: occupational versus sectoral segregation, overall or horizontal versus vertical segregation, vertical versus hierarchical segregation. Horizontal segregation is understood as under- (over-) representation of a given group in occupations or sectors, not ordered by any criterion, and is often referred to as segregation tout court. Vertical segregation denotes the under- (over-) representation of the group in occupations or sectors at the top of an ordering based on ‘desirable’ attributes — income, prestige, job stability, etc. Finally, hierarchical segregation stands for under- (over-) representation of the group at the top of occupation-specific ladders. All forms of gender-based segregation are considered in this report, although overall and vertical segregation in occupations receive closest attention. The first part of the report examines levels and change in overall segregation in European countries (Chapter 1). It goes on to review the most important factors that impinge on segregation (Chapter 2) and to assess three main implications, namely undervaluation of women’s work, confinement in ‘low quality’ jobs, and skill shortages (Chapter 3). Policies are reviewed and assessed in Chapter 4. The second part of the report summarises the highlights from case-study research conducted at national level on 10 occupational groups, the evidence from this research being used as a reference throughout the report.