Gender and jobs : sex segregation of occupations in the world

This comprehensive analysis of the levels and recent changes in the sex segregation of occupations is based on an ILO data set which contains detailed occupational data from 41 economies worldwide. Well over half of all non-agricultural workers in the sample economies work in an occupation where at least 80 per cent of the workforce is either male or female. This, it is suggested, harms economic efficiency and labour market flexibility while perpetuating and reinforcing gender stereotypes. Topics addressed include: higher occupational segregation in Scandinavia compared to other industrialized countries; lower occupational segregation in Asia compared to Europe; recent decreases in segregation in only some parts of the world; and the restricted and sex-stereotyped choice of occupation open to the world's women.