Title: Gender-specific job choices – implications for career education as part of economic education

Authors: Claudia Wiepcke

Addresses: University of Education, Leibnizstr. 3, D-88250, Weingarten, Germany

Abstract: Labour market and occupational orientation are core topics of economic education. The separation of men's professions and women's professions – the so-called gender-specific segregation – is one of the most enduring socio-structural characteristics of the labour market. Although an increasing labour participation of women can be observed in the German labour market for several years, it is still characterised by relatively worse labour market conditions compared to men. This article describes the extent of occupational and industry-specific segregation and gives an overview of theories of gender-specific segregation. Based on this, a relationship to economic education is established and how economic education can enhance a gender-equitable occupational orientation is discussed.

Keywords: career education; discrimination; human capital; socialisation; gender-specific job choices; jobs; careers; labour market; job separation; men; women; professions; socio-structural characteristics; labour participation; Germany; occupational segregation; industry-specific segregation; gender-equitable occupational orientation; pluralism; economics education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2011.046023

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2011 Vol.2 No.4, pp.355 - 368

Published online: 29 Jan 2015 *

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