TY - CHAP

T1 - Gender segregation in education

AU - Kriesi, Irene

AU - Imdorf, Christian

PY - 2019/8/30

Y1 - 2019/8/30

N2 - Gender segregation in secondary and tertiary education affects young people’s further educational and occupational careers and occupational attainment. The phenomenon is thus closely linked with gender segregation in the labour market and social inequality. Furthermore, the persistence of gender segregation seems inconsistent with the dissemination of gender equity and the profound changes regarding educational attainment and women’s move into many formerly male-dominated occupations. Consequently, educational gender segregation has become a much-discussed topic in sociological research. This chapter will begin with a discussion of how gender segregation in education has been conceptualized and measured (section 2.1). Sections 2.2 and 2.3 summarize the patterns of gender segregation in secondary and tertiary education respectively. Section 3 discusses theoretical explanations, starting with the perspective of gender segregation as a result of rational choices (section 3.1). Section 3.2 focuses on culturalist perspectives. Section 3.3 discusses influences of macro-level opportunity structures, such as value systems and the structure of the education system and the labour market. Section 4 summarizes research on the labour market consequences of gender segregation. Section 5 concludes with a discussion of the main gaps in sociological segregation research.

AB - Gender segregation in secondary and tertiary education affects young people’s further educational and occupational careers and occupational attainment. The phenomenon is thus closely linked with gender segregation in the labour market and social inequality. Furthermore, the persistence of gender segregation seems inconsistent with the dissemination of gender equity and the profound changes regarding educational attainment and women’s move into many formerly male-dominated occupations. Consequently, educational gender segregation has become a much-discussed topic in sociological research. This chapter will begin with a discussion of how gender segregation in education has been conceptualized and measured (section 2.1). Sections 2.2 and 2.3 summarize the patterns of gender segregation in secondary and tertiary education respectively. Section 3 discusses theoretical explanations, starting with the perspective of gender segregation as a result of rational choices (section 3.1). Section 3.2 focuses on culturalist perspectives. Section 3.3 discusses influences of macro-level opportunity structures, such as value systems and the structure of the education system and the labour market. Section 4 summarizes research on the labour market consequences of gender segregation. Section 5 concludes with a discussion of the main gaps in sociological segregation research.

KW - Gender

KW - Segregation

KW - Education

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85139626237&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.4337/9781788110426.00020

DO - 10.4337/9781788110426.00020

M3 - Contribution to book/anthology

SN - 9781788110419

T3 - Research Handbooks in Sociology

SP - 193

EP - 212

BT - Research Handbook on the Sociology of Education

A2 - Becker, Rolf

PB - Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

CY - Cheltenham

ER -