Occupational segregation and gender inequality in job quality: a multi-level approach

We examine gender differences in perceived quality of employment (achievement, content, job insecurity, job flexibility, and physical and emotional conditions). We ask whether women’s occupations provide better conditions in areas that facilitate their dual role in society, such as flexible working schedule, as a tradeoff for low monetary rewards. Specifically, we examine how closely women’s concentration in broader occupational categories, embedded in particular national contexts, is associated with gender differences in job quality.

Utilizing the 2005 ISSP modules on work orientation, we find that women lag behind men on most dimensions of job quality. This result runs counter to the hypothesis that women’s occupations compensate for their low wages and limited opportunities for promotion by providing better employment conditions. Just as important, however, the gender gap is found to narrow in most job quality dimensions as women’s relative share in occupations grows. The implications of these results are discussed.