This report examines possible causes of gender segregation and its link to skills shortages in the UK labour market, by investigating young people’s perceptions about work and their preferences for jobs. In particular, the aim is to identify ways of ensuring that young people’s occupational choices are not determined by their gender or stereotypical views about whether females or males can do particular jobs. (i.e. only women can become nursery nurses and only men can become plumbers).

Interviews, document analysis, surveys and an intervention were used to collect evidence from young people aged 14 to 19 years. The research focused on particular areas of work - nursery nursing/child-care, elderly care assistants, hairdressing, travel agency, plumbing, mechanics, building and carpentry, being a chef, and telesales, as well as jobs which young people identified as being of interest to them.