Occupational Segregation

Occupational segregation refers to the separation of people into different occupations in a labor market. Using sex as an example, the stronger the tendency for people to work in occupations with others of their sex, the more segregation there is. Segregation is important because it facilitates the unequal distribution of many work‐related rewards, and, as such, sustains the wage gap and other group disparities. Many measures of segregation have been developed, with strong debates over their relative strengths and weaknesses. To account for segregation, researchers often differentiate between supply‐side explanations, which focus on workers' characteristics and preferences, and demand‐side explanations, which focus on employer behavior, discrimination, and the practices and policies of workplaces.