Gender Inequality: Job Segregation

 Writer Allison Wong

Editor Katelyn Chang

Gender Inequality: Job segregation

Unfortunately, in the 21st century, there are still many jobs with female underrepresentation-- engineers, software developers, financial analysts, firefighters, and jobs especially in the construction and architecture field. Women are underrepresented in these fields due to many reasons, most of which stem from gender inequality. Some could say women don’t strive for top jobs and that’s why men have the top jobs, but it has been said that “54% said they are “very ambitious” when it comes to their career” (CNBC. com).

Women are paid less regardless of skill

Although many would think that the amount of money earned was based on the quality of their work and the education level they may have, that is most certainly not true on some occasions. Regardless of the skill and education level possessed by men, they are still paid more. Women with the same skill and education level are still paid less than men. When it comes to a women’s spectrum of capability, they are often referred to as the “weaker sex” in many aspects.  

Gender discrimination is one of the leading causes of job segregation. As Harvard University economist Claudia Goldin argues, “men often underestimate women’s skills based on their current underrepresentation in certain occupations and thus discriminate against women in these occupations on the false assumption that increasing their representation would lower overall productivity.” The lack of female representation in certain occupations can lead young impressionable women to believe that females do not obtain the ability to take on challenging roles. As Claudia Goldin found, “men often underestimate women’s skill” which has made male employers discriminate against women with the prejudiced belief that they are incompetent. 

Societal Pressures and Masculinity

Not only does gender discrimination play a role in job segregation by gender, but stereotypes and social pressures have a huge influence too. There is a belief that men and women have different economic, social, and familial roles which lead people to think that there are “male” and “female" jobs. Moreover, men in male-dominated professions may deduce that a woman could threaten their profession's masculinity. According to Washington Center for Equitable Growth, “men don’t discriminate against women because they view women as less qualified but rather because they are trying to protect the social power men hold through membership in the “boys’ club.” This mindset of women emasculating professions is a societal perception that is heavily influenced by environmental factors.

With proven research, it should be known that gender inequality is one of the main leading causes for job segregation by gender. Job segregation by gender is not because of female incompetence, but rather the male’s perspective and the societal pressure that leads male employers to believe women are incompetent as well as posing a threat to the masculinity of professions.

---

Sources:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/05/why-women-are-locked-out-of-top-jobs-despite-having-high-ambition.html 

https://equitablegrowth.org/fact-sheet-occupational-segregation-in-the-united-states/ 

equitablegrowth.org/gender-segregation-at-work-separate-but-equal-or-inequitable-and-inefficient/ .

Images:

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180928123049-women-entering-industries-gfx-super-169.jpg

https://assets-api.kathmandupost.com/thumb.php?src=https://assets-cdn.kathmandupost.com/uploads/source/news/2017/miscellaneous/gender-pay-gap-15012017082607.jpg&w=900&height=601