The role of the field of study in occupational gender segregation among university graduates

Abstract

Developed societies aim for equal opportunities in the labor market in order to reduce gender gaps. However, occupational segregation continues to exist at different levels, even though women have achieved higher levels of education than men. The main objective of this study is to disentangle the empirical relationship between educational and occupational segregation across the full range of fields of study and occupations for recent university graduates and to track the evolution thereof over time. In doing so, we apply a decomposition of the Karmel and MacLachlan index, using data from the Survey on the Labour Insertion of University Graduates (SLIU) for 2014 and 2019. We find that educational and occupational segregation are relatively low for recent graduates, but that they move in opposite directions. Whereas segregation by field of study has increased over time, occupational segregation has declined. However, occupational segregation is strongly predetermined by field of study, and around three-quarters of the segregation caused by field of study carries over into the labor market. Significant discrepancies –which can be grouped in three typologies –are observed between occupations, such that different types of measures may be taken to reduce occupational segregation, with some being aimed at reducing the differences in what men and women study while others are more short term and seek to counteract the segregation to emerge from education.