Gender Inequality in the Labour Market

Authors: Janet Siltanen, Jennifer Jarman, and Robert M. Blackburn

Occupational concentration and segregation are concepts that have been widely discussed over the past 20 years in connection with gender inequality in the labour market. It is important to be able to measure and describe clearly these patterns of segregation, how they develop over time and how they differ between counties in order to understand their consequences and take appropriate action.

This user-friendly manual is intended for all those involved in producing, analysing or presenting statistics on the occupational structure by sex, whether for research or policy-making. The book starts by clarifying concepts and measures, and discusses problems linked with the quality and availability of data. Using well-known statistical software packages and illustrative data, step-by-step guides lead readers through all stages in producing information on occupational concentration and segregation. Various methodological tools are reviewed, and one - Marginal Matching, developed by the authors - is found by them to have advantages over the others; this is explained in detail in the last chapter. Finally, the manual proposes further reading on the subject.

This publication formed part of the ILO's Interdepartmental Project on Equality for Women in Employment in the early 1990s. It contributed to the debates on occupational segregation, one of the major problems faced by women workers in the labour market.

Gender Inequality in the Labour Market is available from the United Nations Digital Library, through open access of the International Labour Office, and through university interlibrary loan. Occasionally, copies can be found at used bookstores.