What is occupational segregation? Occupational segregation is the concentration of women and men in different occupations, jobs, and tasks, or at different levels in an employment or job hierarchy. In most cases, it stems from gender stereotypes about health worker cadres and specialties that affects recruitment and deployment (and originally stems from how students enter and graduate from health professional training programs).
To learn more about advocating for gender equality for students and faculty in health professional education systems, see the Gender Equality and Health Workforce Development Advocacy Tool.
How does occupational segregation affect health workers? The concentration of female health workers in specific cadres or in lower-level, lower-paying jobs violates their right to pursue the same career opportunities that are available to male health workers and faculty.
Ask Yourself
- Are there certain occupations in your country that are considered “female” or “male?” Which are they, and why do you think this is the case?
- Play Vital Pursuit to put yourself in the shoes of an aspiring health professional student and see the types of challenges she faces in completing her education.
- What proportion of female vs. male students complete their health professional studies? What are reasons for dropouts?
- Consider the typical career paths for female vs. male health workers. What kinds of differences exist?
- What are the proportions of men and women in your institution’s top management and leadership positions? Are there more men, more women, or similar proportions of both?
