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The proportion of males and females varies among occupation types. There are several factors that may contribute to occupational segregation by gender. Using a large U.S. sample (n = 2149), we examine the extent to which occupational segregation can be attributed to men and women's differing levels of empathizing and systematizing: psychological dimensions which theorists argue represent meaningful and fundamental differences between males and females. We also examine gender differences in these dimensions and their effects on occupational segregation across multiple age groups. Approximately 10% of the observed gender differences in some occupation types-- construction, management, and technical/science fields--were mediated by systemizing scores. For other areas, like health and education, none of the gender differences were found to be mediated by either of these measures. These effects largely held for both older and younger age groups, supporting the possibility that individuals are drawn to at least some domains because of gender-differentiated drives and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]