Trends in Occupational and Industrial Sex Segregation in 56 Countries, 1960-1980

Abstract

This article examines trends in sex segregation by occupation and industry in 56 countries. International Labor Organization (ILO) data from roughly 1960 to 1980 for both developed and developing countries are included in the analysis. Evidence presented suggests that these data are reliable measures of the direction and rate of change in segregation. It was found that a majority of countries experienced declines in sex segregation between 1960 and 1980 and nearly all countries experienced declines in a size-standardized measure of segregation. A striking asymmetry in the experience of these changes for men and women was also found. In the great majority of countries, men experienced an increased chance of sharing an occupation (and industry) with women during this period, whereas women often (but not always) experienced a decline in the chances of being in the same occupational (and industrial) group as men. Finally, the article examines the effects on segregation of per capita GNP, women's labor force participation, the total fertility rate, women's educational levels, and urbanization, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The regression results are generally inconsistent with the predictions of the modernization perspective.