Lisbon, June 29, 2025 (Lusa) - Portuguese women predominantly work in personal care, cleaning, health and teaching professions, while their representation among forestry and metalworking workers remains limited, according to a barometer from the Gender, Work and Power Observatory.
In Portugal, women represent 92.4% of workers in personal care and similar occupations, 88.2% of cleaning workers, 76.8% of health professionals and 76.2% of teachers, according to 2022 data that the Gender, Work and Power Observatory, a body of ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics & Management led by specialist Sara Falcão Casaca, published.
The figures reveal that women account for 76.6% of intermediate-level health technicians and professionals, 74.8% of office workers, including secretaries and data processing operators, and 71.5% of specialists in legal, social, artistic, and cultural matters.
Women predominantly occupy professions such as meal preparation assistants (68.3%), other administrative support staff (67.8%), direct customer support staff (64.2%), salespersons (61.8%) and personal service workers (60.3%).
On the other hand, women account for less than 30% of professions, such as representatives of legislative and government bodies, senior civil servants, directors, and managers of companies (28.1%), or farmers and skilled workers in market-oriented agriculture and animal production (24.1%).
Women also accounted for 22.4% of information and communication technology technicians, as well as ICT specialists (22.1%) and intermediate science and engineering technicians and professionals (21.2%).
Segregation is even more pronounced, with female participation at less than 20%.
in the professions of street vendors (except those selling food) and street service providers (19.2%), protection and security service personnel (16.2%), skilled forestry, fishing and hunting workers (6.8%) and skilled metal, metalworking and related workers (4.1%).
However, women showed their lowest representation among drivers and mobile equipment operators (3.6%), skilled workers in electricity and electronics (2.4%), and, with the lowest percentage, skilled construction and related workers (1.3%), excluding electricians.
For the observatory director, the data confirm that Portugal still exhibits a high representation of professions in which the majority (60%) are men or predominate (80% or more), and that society has made only limited progress in broadening conceptions beyond stereotypes. These conceptions appear during early socialisation, particularly within the family, and they guide the educational and training choices of boys and girls.
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