La segregazione occupazionale in Italia

When men and women today do the same work for the same employer, they are paid essentially the same wages. There is nevertheless a substantial pay gap that needs to be explained. Its main source lies in the segregation of men and women in occupations and professions: women work in low-paid jobs, while men work in jobs where pay is high. If men and women had equal outside opportunities, and their distribution across positions and hierarchical levels of economic activities were unaffected by social stereotypes, they would choose the same specialized human capital and they would be equally distributed across occupations. This paper undertakes an empirical overview of the occupational segregation in Italy (using the term in its descriptive sense) and concludes that the occupational segregation depends on factors such as the relationship between family and work, internalised stereotypes that influence educational choices, anticipated discrimination from employers and the rules of the competition in tournaments.