JOB SEGREGATION
| UNITED KINGDOM |
| JOB SEGREGATION |
Employment in Britain is segregated by gender, both horizontally and vertically. That is to say, women tend to be in different jobs or occupations to those of men (horizontal segregation) and within a particular occupation tend to hold the lower status and lower rewarded positions (vertical segregation). Women workers are heavily concentrated in relatively few occupations, frequently those with a large demand for part-time workers . Figures for 1985 show that women tend to be over-represented (compared to their proportion in the total occupational labour force of 42 per cent.) in clerical and related occupations (where they constitute 74 per cent. of all workers), catering, cleaning, hairdressing and other personal services (76 per cent.) and professional and related occupations supporting management and administration (68 per cent.). In contrast they constitute only 10 per cent. of general management; nine per cent. of professional and related occupations in science, engineering and technology, and less than five per cent. in metal and electrical processing, making and repairing occupations. Within those occupations where figures are available women are disproportionately concentrated in lower grades. Within the administration group of the Civil Service, for example, where there are nine grades, women constitute 75 per cent. of the bottom grade and 68 per cent. of the second grade up but only 2.6 per cent. of the top grade and 1.4 per cent. of the second grade from the top. Horizontal and vertical job segregation is reflected in women's disadvantaged earnings position compared to men. Similar patterns of segregation are found in training schemes. Women on Youth Training Schemes tend to be doing clerical, catering or selling work (82 per cent. compared to 18 per cent. of men) and while half the young men on such schemes are in manufacturing, only eight per cent. of young women are. The broad patterns of job segregation have changed little over time, despite the SDA.
Please note: the European industrial relations glossaries were compiled between 1991 and 2003 and are not updated. For current material see the European industrial relations dictionary.