Educational gains for women
Educational gains for women have contributed to their success in the labor market (Miller, 2020). Whereas more women are shifting their career choices to the lucrative male-dominated jobs, the men shun the female-dominated jobs. This is because such jobs pay less. Women dominate jobs such as healthcare workers as well as social service workers. The choice of occupations affects the gender pay gap. Other sectors, such as teaching and nursing, has also experienced female-domination. However, when men join some of the industries, they are more likely to experience higher job security and growth in the average wage. Occupations such as manufacturing are male-dominated and are shrinking due to automation. Once males lose their jobs, they are unlikely to accept lowly paying jobs dominated by women. This is due to the social norms on masculinity that make men shun service-related jobs. Some of the indicators of masculinity, according to Miller (2020), including earning a good salary and avoiding female-dominated jobs. For men, therefore, choosing a female-dominated career threatens masculinity. Enhancing the quality of service jobs would make men take such responsibilities to improve the economic benefits of the jobs to women, such as improved wages.
According to a report by International Labor Organization as cited by Clara (2018), when more women dominate a given sector, the working out of the algebra yields a downward pressure in the growth of average wages. Clara attributes the disparities in pay between men and women for the same job to occupational segregation. The report by ILO shows that women are more inclined to the service industry. For instance, 84% of women are employed in the service sector, while only 60.7% of men gravitate towards the industry. Other sectors dominated by females include wholesale and retail, social work, healthcare, sales, secretaries, teachers, and food and accommodation, among others. Clara’s (2020) finding correlated to those in the Pursuit of Gender Equality that higher wages characterize sectors which are dominated by the male gender. Clara’s results show a gendered stereotype that some jobs are reserved for men such as construction while others, such as teaching pre-school, are preserved for females. When more women gravitate to some professions, they eventually the pay declines predisposing women to poverty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the paper concludes that there is a persistent negative correlation between the proportion of women in occupation and average earnings. Average wage levels are low, especially in low-skilled jobs which are dominated by women. On the contrary, average wage levels are high in highly-skilled occupations which are dominated by men. The level of occupational segregation across many countries is of concern because it creates economic inefficiencies. This, therefore, creates the need for policymakers to come up with practical steps to bridge the wage gap. The policy approach should ensure that women are more informed when it comes to career paths to take at an early age. Moreover, the policy should be geared towards reducing impediments to women’s quest to pursue non-traditional career paths such as through training and advancement in education. Enforcement of equal pay and employment opportunity will also go a long way to ensure that women with the same skill set and educational attainment as men are not discriminated against.