DETERMINANTS OF GENDER-BASED OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION OF EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

Occupational Segregation by gender refers to the under-representation or over- representation of one gender across different types of occupations. These kinds of

labour market discriminations can harm individual earning potentials and a smooth labour market function. The main objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the determination of Occupational Segregation among different genders. It studies how the age of individuals, ethnic diversity, different marital conditions; levels of education attained, vocational training gained, industrial and residential sectors of individuals determine their occupational segregation. The study uses the Labour Force Survey data of 2022 to gather data about 29,170 individuals and their occupational status. The Multinomial Logit Regression is used to measure the influence of each variable to determine the unequal representation across various occupations. The findings show that non-Sinhalese individuals, person who are in rural and estate sectors, belongings to the ever-married category under marital status, individuals who have attained tertiary education and vocational training, as well as people in the agricultural sector have a greater tendency to determine occupational segregation by gender, whereas age does not affect the determination of gender-based occupational segregation. Accordingly, it shows how individuals in different status under all selected variables determine their employability in ‘jobs

with male dominance’ and ‘jobs with female dominance’ with reference to ‘gender- mixed/non-segregated occupations’. The study suggests promoting gender equality

in most occupations in the labour market of Sri Lanka by ensuring job security among the different genders.