Did you know that women make up 60% of university graduates in Latin America and the Caribbean? Despite this significant potential, only 10% serve on boards of directors and just 5.6% hold executive roles in large companies. These numbers highlight a critical gap: although talent is abundant, it remains far from being fully leveraged in the labor market and leadership roles.
For the region’s economies to grow, talent must be put to its most productive use. This is why removing the barriers that restrict workers’ access to certain careers and professions not only benefits individuals but also enhances the well-being and productivity of society as a whole.
Representation of women in work environments (% of total)
Among the key barriers that restrict women’s full participation in educational and economic opportunities is the social expectation that they are the primary caregivers within their families and communities. Economists have empirically shown that the different ways men and women experience parenthood serve as a turning point in their career trajectories.
This critical juncture, known in economics as the motherhood penalty, is a major factor contributing to gaps in labor force participation and employment. In fact, gender-based occupational segregation in specific sectors accounts for only a small part of the income gap.
The Other Side of the Coin: Men are also Underrepresented in Certain Occupations
Just like women, men are also underrepresented in certain professions and sectors, although this fact receives less attention. Some of these fields include nursing, medicine, early childhood and elementary education, social work, and caregiving. In the region, only one in four teachers, fewer than half of doctors, and one in ten nurses are men.
Studies by the Inter-American Development Bank highlight these workforce trends in the health and education sectors. An interesting finding is that, as you move up the leadership ladder, these patterns tend to reverse. For example, in Colombia, only 35% of teachers are men, but they make up 66% of the school principals.
What does the Evidence Indicate about Boys’ and Men’s Involvement in Specific Professions?
The barriers that limit the participation of boys and men in some careers and sectors have been less explored. However, two recent studies have provided empirical evidence to better understand this issue.
1. Research in the United Kingdom’s social work sector revealed the following results:
Men represent less than 20% of social workers, with their participation declining in recent decades. As a result, two interventions were implemented:
- Including photos of men in job advertisements to challenge stereotypes
- Providing information about job performance in the sector, especially data emphasizing the demanding nature of the work.
Key findings: The photos did not increase men’s interest; however, the information presenting the job’s characteristics and professional challenges did attract more male candidates. This strategy attracted better-qualified applicants without discouraging women from participating in the process.
2. A second study from Finland reports the following results:
In Finland, the university teaching profession reserved a quota of 40% of spots for men to promote greater gender equality in the field, which was later reduced to 20%.
Researchers took advantage of this quota change to study its effects on teaching quality and student outcomes.
Key findings: Professors who entered the program through the quota policy showed better professional performance, and their students later achieved improved educational and employment outcomes. The impact is not explained by more diverse teams but because the quota corrected biases in the admission process—such as language tests, where men tend to score lower, which were given high weight despite not predicting teaching performance. Additionally, male teachers who benefited from the quota policy exhibited greater motivation, commitment, and vocation, which likely had a positive demonstrative effect on their students.
Overcoming barriers that limit men’s or women’s participation in certain professions can bring both individual and societal advantages. In addition to expanding opportunities for people, these changes help redefine stereotypes and foster more equitable and efficient labor markets.
The results of these two studies are important for assessing which policies and interventions can help remove barriers that limit men’s and women’s participation in careers where they can make major contributions productively.
Removing these barriers not only has the potential to attract more and better workers to various sectors. It can also help change attitudes, norms, and stereotypes that define certain professions as “masculine” or “feminine,” limiting opportunities for talented and motivated individuals to pursue them. You can read more in IDB’s book “Expanding Opportunities.”
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