Are low-waged women worse off in highly segregated and high part-density occupation? New evidence on the gender pay gap

This study assessed the effect of occupational segregation on gender wage differences in Wales from 2011-2013. Using unconditional quantile regression and Annual Population Survey Data, the effects of occupational segregation and part-time work on hourly earnings across the wage distribution for both, women and men, in public and private sector, were analysed. The findings give clear evidence of a wider gender pay gap for low paid women working part-time, especially in the private sector. Middle and higher earning women in female-dominated occupations and in professions with a high density of female part-time workers saw a gender pay penalty. These findings have significant implications for economic and social policy. The analysis is timely, as large public sector organisations have to report wage differentials since the Welsh Equality Act of 2010.