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Occupational Prestige and Gender-Occupational Segregation

Author

Listed:
  • Inmaculada García-Mainar

    (University of Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Víctor M Montuenga

    (University of Zaragoza, Spain)

  • Guillermo García-Martín

    (University of Zaragoza, Spain)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine whether there is a relationship between the proportion of women working in an occupation and the prestige assigned to that occupation. Based on a representative sample of Spanish employees from the Spanish Quality of Working Life Survey, pooled-sample data (2007–2010) are used to show that occupations with larger shares of women present lower prestige, controlling for a set of objective individual and work-related variables, and self-assessed indicators of working conditions. However, the results obtained do not support the devaluation theory since an inverted-U relationship between female share and occupational prestige is observed. This conclusion holds even after passing a battery of robustness checks.

Suggested Citation

  • Inmaculada García-Mainar & Víctor M Montuenga & Guillermo García-Martín, 2018. "Occupational Prestige and Gender-Occupational Segregation," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 32(2), pages 348-367, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:32:y:2018:i:2:p:348-367
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017017730528
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Clara Cortina & Jorge Rodríguez & M. José González, 2021. "Mind the Job: The Role of Occupational Characteristics in Explaining Gender Discrimination," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 91-110, July.
    2. 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.
    3. Inmaculada García-Mainar & Víctor M. Montuenga, 2020. "Occupational Prestige and Fathers’ Influence on Sons and Daughters," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 706-728, December.
    4. Sabine Krueger & Christian Ebner & Daniela Rohrbach-Schmidt, 2024. "Gender Composition and the Symbolic Value of Occupations: New Evidence of a U-shaped Relationship between Gender and Occupational Prestige Based on German Microdata," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(1), pages 242-261, February.

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