Ranking Industries Dominated by Women Compared with Men

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Women have made significant progress in education and employment. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2026 ranks 18 industries by the proportion of women workers, using unweighted industry averages from LinkedIn data covering 61 countries up to June 2026.

The following table ranks industries by the proportion of women workers, according to the World Economic Forum.

Health and care services have the highest proportion of women workers, at 60%, followed by education (54%), consumer services (52%), and government and the public sector (51%).

At the other end of the ranking, infrastructure has the lowest proportion, at 24% — a 36-percentage-point gap compared with health and care services.

Why do health and education rank highest?

Women’s stronger representation in these sectors partly reflects longstanding education pathways and employment patterns.

Around the world, women now increasingly outnumber men in higher education, particularly in certain fields. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, women have made significant progress in medical education and the medical profession, although gaps in leadership and career progression remain.

Historically, teaching and care work have also often been associated with women, shaping recruitment, career expectations and workforce demographics.

Why are industries involving technical field work dominated by men?

Infrastructure, mining, manufacturing and transport remain heavily male-dominated. Traditional apprenticeship routes, occupational stereotypes and workplace culture all contribute to the gap.

A McKinsey study found that women in mining reported limited opportunities for promotion and an exclusionary workplace culture. This suggests that recruitment alone is not enough to close the gap.

Meanwhile, younger workers are showing renewed interest in skilled trades, attracted by job security and as an alternative to expensive higher education. However, rising demand for workers in these sectors does not automatically lead to a better gender balance.