Understanding the persistence of occupational sex segregation in German labour markets: how gender attitudes shape young women's occupational aspirations

The persistence of occupational sex segregation is a global phenomenon that relegates women into lower paid, lower status jobs. Understanding why young women apparently choose such jobs is integral to reversing decades of economic inequality related to employment. The strength of the association between the education system and labour market as well as high levels of occupational sex segregation makes Germany an interesting case to study. Using data from the National Education Panel Study (NEPS) Starting Cohort 4 data, I examine whether the occupational aspirations of female secondary school students are related to family characteristics and/or attitudes to gender roles. The results indicate that girls with fathers employed in male-dominated occupations hold more conservative gender attitudes than their peers with fathers employed in gender-neutral occupations. Girls with more conservative gender attitudes are more likely to hold aspirations for jobs in female-dominated occupations. These findings suggest that despite growth in gender-neutral knowledge-based industries, the socialisation of young women, particularly with regard to attitudes to appropriate roles for women, continues to influence occupational aspirations.

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