Just 1% of construction workers are female, the EOC says

Young people were actively discouraged from pursuing jobs outside the "norm" for their gender, a study by the Equal Opportunities Commission said.

Girls from lower social groups were denied access to careers advice, work experience and training, the EOC said.

The report also found that most girls and boys had shown an interest in learning a "non-traditional job".

Work experience

One in four boys expressed an interest in care work, while one in eight girls were keen to work in the construction industry.

Tackling occupational segregation needs to be put at the heart of the government's strategy to raise skills and productivity EOC

But the EOC found just 1% of construction workers are female and 2% of childcare workers are men.

And it said only a sixth of young people received advice on work experience in areas dominated by the other sex.

Last year just 22 young women in England took up plumbing apprenticeships compared with more than 3,000 young men.

Higher education

The study included 1,100 adults, 90,000 youngsters who had been on work experience, 1,200 children aged 14 and 140 employers.

Women said they would have considered other careers if they had known jobs normally filled by women were lower paid.

Girls who went on to higher education had more chance of finding better paid jobs in professions like medicine or law, the report said.

However, women are still dominating areas such as cleaning, catering and clerical work.

'Removing barriers'

EOC chairwoman Julie Mellor said Britain could not go on "letting young people down".

"The choices they make at an early age affect their whole lives and the economy suffers if employers can't get the right mix of skills and talents," she said.

The findings demonstrated the importance of "removing the barriers" facing young people and potential employers, she added.

"Tackling occupational segregation needs to be put at the heart of the government's strategy to raise skills and productivity."