The Persistence of Gender Inequalities in the Labour Market: Conceptualizations and Theoretical Approaches

Abstract

The gendered imbalance in the division of labour has been present since the late 19th century, when women’s labour was exploited and underpaid in the wage market. Occupational and professional gender inequalities between women and men continue to persist today. This paper provides an overview of the theoretical explanations and concepts used to analyse gender inequalities in professional careers. In addition to gender stereotypes and roles, other terms that conceptualise gender inequalities in the labour market are discussed, such as ‘gender pay gap’, horizontal and vertical segregation, evaluative discrimination, and ‘glass ceiling’. In addition, both theoretical economic approaches, which emphasise the role of human capital and explain discrimination against women in the labour market by expectations of lower productivity, and sociological approaches, which highlight other significant issues for career and career advancement, such as power differentials, social and cultural norms and values, ‘social closure’, or the importance of social capital and social networks, are discussed. The final part of the paper highlights key aspects of the debate and makes some observations on the need for more integrative and practice-oriented research in this area.