abstract: 'This paper investigates gender-based segregation in education, jobs and

  earnings among African women in South Africa. By investigating these

  linkages, we aim to identify potential policy interventions that could

  affect some degree of de-segregation in the labour market and thereby

  reduce the gender wage gap. Using large, nationally representative

  labour force data samples of African workers, our findings confirm the

  existence of an earnings hierarchy reflecting a male dominance premium.

  Specifically, our results show that women working in male dominated

  self-employment experience the highest returns, followed by women

  employed in male dominated wage employment while working in female

  dominated wage employment and self-employment is associated with a wage

  penalty. However, trying to address wage inequality in the labour market

  through labour legislation is not likely to be effective if the wage gap

  is mainly driven by horizontal segregation. Our findings show that

  gender-based horizontal segregation of jobs is strongly correlated with

  gender-based segregation in the choices of post-secondary education.

  Based on our findings, we conclude that targeted training interventions

  for vocational qualifications of women in male dominated fields of study

  is likely to be the most plausible policy response that could reduce

  some of the differences in the earnings between African men and women.

  The negative economic effects of COVID 19 pandemic, which in South

  Africa affected women more severely in terms of labour market outcomes

  (Casale \& Posel, 2020), may provide policymakers with a catalyst to

  challenge the constraints women face crossing over into male dominated

  jobs.'
affiliation: 'Roberts, G (Corresponding Author), New Commerce Bldg,Braamfontein Campus
  West, ZA-2000 Johannesburg, South Africa.

  Roberts, Gareth; Schoer, Volker, Univ Witwatersrand, Sch Econ \& Finance SEF, Johannesburg,
  South Africa.'
article-number: '100348'
author: Roberts, Gareth and Schoer, Volker
author-email: 'Gareth.Roberts@wits.ac.za

  Volker.Schoer@wits.ac.za'
author_list:
- family: Roberts
  given: Gareth
- family: Schoer
  given: Volker
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100348
earlyaccessdate: AUG 2021
files: []
issn: 2452-2929
journal: WORLD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES
keywords: 'Horizontal gender-based job segregation; Education; Occupation;

  Industry; Earnings; Crossovers'
language: English
month: SEP
number-of-cited-references: '30'
orcid-numbers: Schoer, Volker/0000-0002-6382-2015
papis_id: ee0238922e522ad77b17d576e3faaf5b
ref: Roberts2021genderbasedsegregati
researcherid-numbers: Schoer, Volker/C-6283-2019
times-cited: '0'
title: Gender-based segregation in education, jobs and earnings in South Africa
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000693689600017
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '6'
volume: '23'
web-of-science-categories: Development Studies; Economics
year: '2021'