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Occupational Gender Segregation and Women's Wages in Canada: An Historical Perspective

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  • Nicole M. Fortin
  • Michael Huberman

Abstract

We document the evolution of occupational gender segregation and its implications for women's labour market outcomes over the twentieth century. The first half of the century saw a considerable decline in vertical segregation as women moved out of domestic and manufacturing work into clerical work. This created a substantial amount of horizontal segregation that persists to this day. To study the effects of occupational segregation on the gender gap, we introduce a decomposition technique that divides the gap into between-occupation and within-occupation components. Since the 1990s the component attributable to within-occupation wage differentials has become predominant.

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  • Nicole M. Fortin & Michael Huberman, 2002. "Occupational Gender Segregation and Women's Wages in Canada: An Historical Perspective," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 28(s1), pages 11-39, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:28:y:2002:i:s1:p:11-39
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    Cited by:

    1. Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Tan, Michelle, 2011. "Noncognitive skills, occupational attainment, and relative wages," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, January.
    2. Mariona Lozano & Dana Hamplová & Céline Le Bourdais, 2016. "Non-standard work schedules, gender, and parental stress," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(9), pages 259-284.
    3. Gillian C. Hamilton & Ian Keay & Frank D. Lewis, 2017. "Contributions to Canadian economic history: The last 30 years," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1632-1657, December.
    4. repec:boc:pcon20:2 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Ilse Lindenlaub & Anja Prummer, 2014. "Gender, Social Networks And Performance," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1461, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    6. Aldaz Odriozola, Leire & Eguía Peña, Begoña, 2016. "Segregación laboral por género en España y en el País Vasco. Un análisis de cohortes /Occupational Segregation by Sex in Spain and in the Basque Country. A Cohort Analysis," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 34, pages 133-154, Enero.
    7. Heather Antecol & Deborah Cobb-Clark, 2010. "Do Non-cognitive Skills Help Explain the Occupational Segregation of Young People?," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2010n13, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    8. Dickson Thomas NDAMSA & Aloysius Mom NJONG & Francis Menjo BAYE & Jackson YOUYEM, 2015. "Investigating the role of male advantage and female disadvantage in explaining the discrimination effect of the gender pay gap in the Cameroon labor market. Oaxaca-Ransom decomposition approach," EuroEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 1(34), pages 55-72, May.
    9. Toyin Ajibade Adisa & Gbolahan Gbadamosi & Olatunji David Adekoya, 2021. "Gender apartheid: The challenges of breaking into “man's world”," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 2216-2234, November.
    10. Fortin, Nicole M. & Bell, Brian & Böhm, Michael, 2017. "Top earnings inequality and the gender pay gap: Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 107-123.
    11. Luiza Antonie & Miana Plesca & Jennifer Teng, 2016. "Heterogeneity in the Gender Wage Gap in Canada," Working Papers 1603, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
    12. Antecol, Heather & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A., 2013. "Do psychosocial traits help explain gender segregation in young people's occupations?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 59-73.
    13. Eleonora Matteazzi & Ariane Pailhé & Anne Solaz, 2014. "Part-Time Wage Penalties for Women in Prime Age," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(3), pages 955-985, July.
    14. repec:rre:publsh:v:36:y:2006:i:1:p:44-62 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Ilse Lindenlaub & Anja Prummer, 2014. "Gender, Social Networks And Performance," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1461, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    16. DeRiviere, Linda, 2008. "Have we come a long way? Using the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics to revisit the 'pin money' theory," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2340-2367, December.
    17. Christopher Worswick & Frances Woolley & Casey Warman, 2006. "The Evolution Of Male-female Wages Differentials In Canadian Universities: 1970-2001," Working Paper 1099, Economics Department, Queen's University.

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