The puzzle of gender segregation and inequality: A cross-national analysis

Occupational gender segregation has generally been assumed to be a structur e of gender inequality in the labour market; high levels of segregation are equated with high levels of gender inequality in a society. The paper ques tions this assumption. It examines, across a range of countries, the relati ons between United Nations development measures of gender equality and segr egation levels. Contrary to conventional expectations, correlations are fou nd to be positive. To explain these results it is argued that segregation, as measured by conventional segregation indices, is not necessarily indicat ive of gender inequality which operates to the advantage of men in national labour markets. The usual segregation measures are argued to be the result ant of two components: vertical segregation measuring inequality, and horiz ontal segregation measuring difference without inequality (here vertical an d horizontal are used in their usual mathematical sense rather than the spe cial senses sometimes found in segregation literature). It concludes that t he relationship between segregation and inequality is far more complex than previously recognized.