Trends in Occupational Sex Segregation in Urban China

Abstract

This article employs census data of 1982 and 1990 to investigate the recent trends in occupational sex segregation in urban China. The relative impacts of the changes in the employment structure (i.e., the mix effect) and in the gender composition of jobs (i.e., the composition effect) are evaluated. Additionally, the concentration of women and men in the occupational structure is also examined. It is found that economic reforms in China, which subtly affected the employment opportunities of women and men workers, have brought about an increased degree of occupational sex segregation in the urban labor markets. Further, the composition effect is found to play a more important role than the mix effect. Lastly, some policy implications and future research directions are discussed.