TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Bahal, Girish
AU  - Feld, Jan
AU  - Shrivastava, Anand
        TI  - Preferences, Discrimination, and Occupational Segregation
        PY  - 2026/Jul/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18843
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18843
        AB  - Preferences and discrimination are often treated as competing explanations for occupational segregation. This framing misses an important feedback. Preference-based sorting changes the sex composition of occupations; composition changes expected discrimination; and expected discrimination changes sorting. We formalize this mechanism through a general model, where occupations differ in flexibility and workers face more discrimination when their sex is underrepresented. We show two results. First, discrimination amplifies segregation caused by preferences. Second, preferences and discrimination are negatively correlated across occupations. We use the model to study anti-discrimination policies, preference-equalizing policies, and policies that make high-wage occupations more flexible.
        KW  - labor market segregation
KW  - preferences
KW  - discrimination
KW  - sex
KW  - gender
        ER  -