Occupational Segregation

Occupational segregation is the distribution of people based upon demographic characteristics, most often gender, both across and within occupations and jobs. Occupational segregation levels differ on a basis of perfect segregation and integration. Perfect segregation occurs where any given occupation employs only one group. Perfect integration, on the other hand, occurs where each group holds the same proportion of positions in an occupation as it holds in the labor force.

Many scholars, such as Bilbarz et al., argue that occupational segregation is most likely caused by gender-based discrimination that often occurs in patterns, either horizontally (across occupations) or vertically (within the hierarchy of occupations). Both of these contribute to the gender pay gap.