Free to Choose: tackling gender barriers to better jobs, the EOC's final report into sex segregation, focuses on five highly segregated professions - construction, engineering, plumbing and information and communications technology (male-dominated) and childcare (female-dominated).
Research found that although 25 per cent of boys thought caring work sounded interesting, fewer than 3 per cent of the UK's childcare apprenticeships are male.
The report says the situation is 'damaging' for women because female-dominated professions offer much lower rates of pay. Average salaries in childcare are less than half those in engineering or plumbing.
The EOC praised some local training providers for encouraging men into childcare. Bradford City Council and Derbyshire County Council both run successful men-only introductory childcare courses, particularly aimed at increasing participation by black and minority ethnic males.
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