Occupational segregation is evident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Occupational segregation by gender is linked closely to income inequality. Despite great changes in the labour market, including a significant increase in women entering paid work, many occupations continue to be occupied primarily by women or by men and there appears to be a negative relationship between the wages an occupation pays and the share of women who engage in that occupation.

Women workers are much more likely to be part-time than other forms of non-standard working. In the United Kingdom, for example, some 43 per cent of employed women work part-time compared with 13 per cent of working men, but this is a worldwide phenomenon. Part-time work is a costly work option for women limiting both their incomes and careers. We consider this and the potential issues associated with flexible working.