Feminismo/s (Jun 2018)
Horizontal segregation studies: the risk of using statistical aggregates
Abstract
This article shows the risk of using statistical aggregates in horizontal segregation studies. The analysis suggests that its use can lead to erroneous conclusions and inappropriate policy measures. Horizontal segregation is more than the underrepresentation of women in the STEM fields, it also affects some fields of the humanities and social sciences. It is also considered that the emphasis given to STEM studies has influenced the direction taken by the research agenda: the fundamental factor studied is the performance in mathematics by women and this does not explain the different participation of women in humanities or social sciences. In studies of horizontal segregation, equal attention must be paid to the choices of boys and girls. Finally, the phenomena of vertical segregation in feminized and masculinized fields are briefly analyzed.
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