Matters of Degree: Sex Segregation by Field of Study in 44 Countries
It is well known that women are persistently underrepresented in engineering, computer science, and other technical fields of study worldwide. But, countries differ greatly in the degree of female underrepresentation in these programs. Moreover, sex segregation by field of study appears to be strongest in some of the most modern and “gender-progressive” countries. Social and cultural factors underlying these surprising patterns of cross-national variability will be discussed.

Maria Charles is Professor of Sociology, specializing in the cross-national comparative study of social inequality. She is coauthor of Occupational Ghettos: The Worldwide Segregation of Women and Men (2004), and is currently exploring differences among more and less industrialized countries in the factors influencing men’s and women’s educational investments.