Factors Influencing Occupational Segregation by Gender in Malaysia

In many developing countries, occupational segregation by gender is a topic that is much discussed but very few researches had been carried out. In Malaysia, secondary sources of data, such as the Population and Housing Census reports and Social Statistics Bulletins of the Malaysian Statistics Department do show that there have been some changes in the general trends of occupational segregation in the country but factual details of occupational segregation based on gender are rather scanty. This paper seeks to throw some lights on this subject of occupational segregation by presenting findings of a micro study conducted in a village in the district of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Malaysia, involving a sample of 12 families. Analyses of the primary data had pointed out six factors that influenced occupational segregation, that is, formal education and training, the division of labour in the household, culture of local Malay society, working conditions, facilities at the work place is not woman friendly, and individual preferences in terms of taste, property and talent. The micro findings lead to the conclusion of three ways whereby not only working women may be empowered to widen their career paths but also that the division of work by gender may be simultaneously reduced. These are the introduction of more woman friendly procedures in the work place, the re-organization of work that seeks to demolish traditional identification of occupations with gender, and the improvement of education and training policies that would enable women to climb the occupational ladder.