Equal representation of women in the public sector represents a key indicator of progress towards building a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The public sector is expected to lead the way and set standards in implementing gender equality and promoting diversity in the public sector. In turn, encouraging a greater diversity of staff in public employment can contribute to organisational performance and foster policies and services that better reflect citizens’ needs.
In OECD countries on average, women are over-represented in the public sector workforce (59.6%), though there are broad variations. In 2017, only one-quarter of positions in the Turkish public sector were filled by women, whereas the corresponding figure for the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark) was between 69% and 71.3%. Some countries, such as Mexico (51.5%) and Greece (48%) approached parity between the sexes in the public sector workforce. The trend across OECD countries points to an increasing rate of participation of women in the public sector workforce from 2011 to 2017. Japan, for example, increased the share of women working in the public sector by almost 3 p.p. between 2011 and 2017.
The share of women working in public sector workforces (60.1%) has usually been higher than in total employment in OECD countries (45.9%). It is also the case in all OECD countries with the exceptions of the Netherlands and Turkey, where the share of women employed in the public sector is slightly lower. The relative difference in the shares of women in public sector employment compared to that in total employment is as high as 20 p.p. in countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. At the same time, these countries also record the highest shares of women in total employment. One reason for explaining the relative higher women participation in the public sector workforce is that some key public sector occupations, such teachers and nurses, are traditionally considered “women’s jobs”. Discouraging such gender stereotyping and ensuring that women have access to varied public sector occupations is a key goal across OECD countries. Ensuring that women can access and compete on an equal footing for leadership and decision-making positions (traditionally dominated by men), is part of the move toward more diverse, inclusive – and effective – public sector workforces.
