Low Awareness of Occupational Segregation and the Gender Pay Gap: No Changes Over a 16-year Span

Three studies conducted in three different decades (1996, 2007, and 2012) investigated awareness of occupational segregation and the gender pay gap. Participants’ estimates of the percentage of female workers in an occupation and their pay were compared to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data to assess the accuracy of the estimates. The results indicated that although college students were aware of the existence of occupational segregation and the gender pay gap, they were unaware of the magnitude of occupational segregation by gender and substantially underestimated the size of the gender pay gap. Over a 16-year period this low awareness of gender issues in the workplace remained remarkably consistent, which could contribute to complacency about the gender pay gap and thereby maintain the status quo. Study 2 also found that individuals high in modern sexism compared to those low in modern sexism were less aware of the gender pay gap. The implications of low awareness of these gender issues are discussed.