Educational Expansion, Segregation and Occupational Placement of Women and Men : Gender-Specific Changes in Prestige and Wages of Entry Jobs

Abstract

The labour market is increasingly characterised by high-qualified and knowledge-intensive occupations, on the one hand, and occupations in the service sector, on the other hand, with the latter belonging to the traditionally female-dominated occupational domains. This article pursues the question if this change in the labour market has led to disadvantages for men concerning the entry into employment, or if they still embark on their occupational career from a better starting position than women. For this, changes in occupational prestige and incomes of job entrants from 1980 through 2003 are analysed, sorted by job entry cohorts. Particular emphasis is on the effects of gender-specific factors, the educational level, and occupational specialisation. The findings of the investigation confirm the authors' initial hypothesis that structural changes in education and the labour market have improved the occupational situation of women during the investigated period. This holds both for occupational prestige and remuneration. Regarding incomes at job entry, and taking into account women's higher share of part-time employment, the gender income gap has closed. However, the results do not indicate a general equality between genders. The income gap between men and women begins to open up again in the further course of the work life, especially after the birth of children, and persists for some of the investigated qualification groups (graduates of technical college, low-qualified women). (IAB)

Cite article

Kleinert, C. & Matthes, B. (2009): Educational expansion, segregation and occupational placement of women and men. Gender-specific changes in prestige and wages of entry jobs. In: A. Hadjar & R. Becker (Hrsg.) (2009): Expected and unexpected consequences of the educational expansion in Europe and the US : theoretical approaches and empirical findings in comparative perspective, p. 327-346.