Female Enrollment in Male-Dominated Vocational Training Courses : Preferences and Prospects
Occupational gender segregation is a worldwide phenomenon that is frequently cited as one of the contributing factors to the gender gap in earnings. Research by the World Bank’s Africa gender innovation lab (GIL) in Uganda and Ethiopia, studied the...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/698591498812317468/Female-enrollment-in-male-dominated-vocational-training-courses-preferences-and-prospects http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27481 |
| Summary: | Occupational gender segregation is a
worldwide phenomenon that is frequently cited as one of the
contributing factors to the gender gap in earnings. Research
by the World Bank’s Africa gender innovation lab (GIL) in
Uganda and Ethiopia, studied the factors associated with
women entrepreneurs’ decision to start a business in a
male-dominated trade. One of the main findings of these
studies was that women who choose to operate in a
male-dominated trade - or crossover - typically do so with
the help of husbands or other male family members who have
existing connections in these trades. In partnership with
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
and Selam David Roschli Technical and Vocational College,
the GIL set out to study what motivates students to choose
different streams of coursework at a technical and
vocational education (TVET) institution and how their
personal interest, expectations for future employment, and
other factors influence this choice. The strongest predictor
of a young woman’s decision to enroll in male-dominated
technical and vocation courses is her existing relationships
with people who work in the associated trade. When choosing
coursework, personal preferences, and future work prospects
are rated as more important than the preferences of family
and friends. More work needs to be done to pilot and
evaluate the impact of interventions that create early
points of contact and exposure for young women to
professions that are traditionally dominated by men. |
|---|