Empirical Study of Gender Occupational Segregation of Rural-Urban Migrant Workers in China

Abstract

Purpose – The chapter studies gender occupational segregation of rural-urban migrant workers in China based on 2006 survey data from five Chinese cities.

Methodology – The multinomial logit (MNL) model is used to analyze migrant workers' occupational attainment by gender. The Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition method is employed to analyze factors affecting gender occupational segregation, which can be classified into observed factors and unobserved factors, including gender discrimination.

Findings – The index of dissimilarity based on the data shows that gender occupational segregation for migrant workers exists. The result of Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition shows that the unobserved effects account for more than three-fourths of the total gender occupational segregation.

Research limitations – The “index problem” and the assumption of the same occupational preference between men and women of the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition need to be addressed further.

Social implications – The existing gender equality policies and social protection confined to urban workers should be extended to migrant workers. Increasing training investment in migrant workers is also recommended.

Citation

Wang, Z. (2012), "Empirical Study of Gender Occupational Segregation of Rural-Urban Migrant Workers in China", Texler Segal, M., Ngan-Ling Chow, E. and Demos, V. (Ed.) Social Production and Reproduction at the Interface of Public and Private Spheres (Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 189-212. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-2126(2012)0000016012