Field of Study and Gender Segregation in European Labour Markets

Abstract

This article explores the role of field of study in channelling tertiary graduates into gender-appropriate occupations and the extent to which this process varies across countries. Previous research has demonstrated that such cross-country differences can be attributed to the nature of the welfare regime. However, less attention has been devoted to the potential impact of educational institutions and labour market systems. Using the European Union Labour Force Survey 2004 for 17 EU Member States, results of the multilevel analysis reveal that cross-national variation in occupational gender segregation must be seen in the context of institutional variation in education and labour market systems. The representation of women in higher education and the labour force, the gender pay gap and the provision of childcare explain a significant proportion of cross-national variation in occupational segregation by gender.