RESOLVING GENDER EQUALITY: HOW FAMILY BACKGROUND CAN HELP TO RESOLVE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT

Abstract

Occupational segregation encompasses two distinct phases: initial labour market entry, characterised as horizontal gender segregation, and subsequent ascension to upper echelons within firms, known as vertical gender segregation. Existing scholarly work has illuminated how the labour market delineates occupations into men-dominated, women-dominated, and mixed-gender spheres (Beller, 1984; Reskin & Hartmann, 1986; Rytina & Bianchi, 1984; Ruijter & Huffman, 2003; May & McGarvey, 2017; Lewandowski et al., 2020). Concurrently, vertical gender segregation, or the glass ceiling, propels men's expedited progression to upper management positions, contributing to male dominance in this realm. This gender disparity is underscored by global senior management statistics, revealing a mere 29% female representation (Catalyst, 2020). This research endeavours to dissect the familial impact on horizontal gender segregation, hypothesising its consequential role in driving vertical gender segregation. An online questionnaire was distributed to seven branches of the private college, and a total of 599 respondents were received. The descriptive statistical analysis was used to investigate which factor(s) of the family background influenced their education selection. The results found that parental role influenced the most decisions, followed by parents’ education and family's economic condition. However, there were no significant differences between the three factors, probably due to the financial assistance they received during their studies.