Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Explaining gender segregation.

Robert M Blackburn1, Jude Browne, Bradley Brooks

  • 1Social Science Research Group, Cambridge University.

The British Journal of Sociology
|January 31, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Occupational gender segregation, where men and women work in different jobs, is complex. Existing theories are inadequate, and women

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Maternal Physical Health Symptoms in the First 8 Weeks Postpartum Among Primiparous Australian Women.

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)ยท2015
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Economics
  • Gender Studies

Background:

  • Occupational gender segregation is a significant feature in industrialized societies.
  • Understanding segregation requires distinguishing between vertical (inequality) and horizontal (difference) components.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine and critique major theoretical approaches to occupational gender segregation.
  • To propose an alternative theoretical framework for understanding gender segregation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing theoretical frameworks: human capital/rational choice, patriarchy, and preference theories.
  • Empirical observation of the relationship between women's empowerment and gender segregation levels.

Main Results:

  • Existing theories are found to be inadequate, often conflating overall segregation with its vertical component.
  • Contrary to common assumptions, higher women's empowerment correlates with greater gender segregation.
  • Social reproduction processes offer a more effective explanatory approach.

Conclusions:

  • Current theories fail to adequately explain occupational gender segregation.
  • The relationship between women's empowerment and segregation is counterintuitive and requires alternative explanations.
  • A social reproduction framework provides a more robust understanding of gendered occupational patterns.

Related Experiment Videos