Women's Work, Men's Work Sex Segregation on the Job (1986) / Chapter Skim
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2. Sex Segregation: Extent and Recent Trends
2. Sex Segregation: Extent and Recent Trends
Pages 18-36
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From page 18... ...
For example, in 1981 the index of sex segregation computed over 11 major occupational categories was 41 among whites and 39 among nonwhites (see Table 2-1) , indicating that at least 40 percent of all women or men would have to change to an occupational category dominated by the other sex for their broad distributions to be identical (and for the proportion female or male in each category to 18 be equal to the proportion female or male in the total labor force)
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From page 19... ...
Using 1981 Current Population Survey data, Jacobs (1983) calculates the index as 40 on the basis of the 10 major census occupational categories and as 62.7 on the basis of 426 three-digit census occupations.
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From page 20... ...
Of the largest 10 occupations for women, 9 were more than 70 percent and 7 were more than 80 percent female, compared with the total civilian experienced labor force, which was 42.5 percent female. Of the 10 largest occupations for men, all were at least 70 percent mate and 7 were more than 80 percent male.
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From page 21... ...
948,358 1.3 1.4 - 0.1 Ten Largest Occupations for Women 1970-1980 Change in Detailed 1980 Occupational Number Percentage Female Percentage Title and Code of Women 1980 1970 Female 1. Secretaries (313)
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From page 22... ...
RECENT TRENDS IN OCCUPATIONAL SEX SEGREGATION Summary measures indicating current levels of segregation are primarily of interest as data points that reveal trends over time. TABLE 2-3 Sex Distribution Over Major Industrial Categories for Nonagricultural Industries, October 1984 Women Men Number Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Industry Division (in thousands)
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From page 23... ...
The occupational data from the 1980 census and all earlier censuses are especially difficult to compare because of sweeping changes macle in the 1980 census occupational classification scheme. Using data for a sample of 120,000 individuals in the experienced civilian labor force whose occupations were "double coded" with both the 1970 and the 1980 detailed]
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From page 24... ...
In addition, the 1972, 1977, and 1981 indices were based on Bureau of Labor Statistics annual averages of monthly Current Population Surveys. The Current Population Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual averages yield slightly different results.
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From page 25... ...
Thus, had hiring been sex-neutral between 1960 and 1970, the segregation index in 1970 would have declined by 18 points Dom 74 to 56. iIndices are computed for 183 detailed occupational categories in all three decennial censuses.
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From page 26... ...
concluded that the decline observed in the index of sex segregation during the 1970s was due, in addition to increased integration of some occupations, to declines in the sizes of two heavily female occupations-private household maids and servants and sewers and stitchers; each accounted for more than a one-point decline in the segregation index. Three other occupations dominated by one sex (telephone operator, private household child care worker, and delivery and route worker)
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From page 27... ...
92 (S15) Office machine operators 73 (966)
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From page 28... ...
, women's participation increased most between 1970 and 1980 in those occupations that were between 20 and 60 percent female in 1970. Some of these occupations became more female-intensive (those more than 40 percent female)
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From page 29... ...
E C., salaried General office clerks Cashiers Registered nurses Teachers, elementary school Assemblers Child care workers, except private household Nursing aides Machine operators, not specified Number of New Female Jobs Percentage Female 1970 Percentage Female 1980 1,145,033 900,308 800,124 756,132 491,031 482,892 418,955 405,284 382,383 332,929 SOURCE: U.S.
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From page 30... ...
7 percent female in 1950 and 93 percent female 30 years later. Other clerical occupations that have become even more female-intensive since 1970 include biding clerks, cashiers, file clerks, keypunch operators, receptionists, legal secretaries, typists, and teacher's aisles (U.S.
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From page 31... ...
have suggested that computer programming may follow the pattern of bank tellers. When the occupation emerged 20 years ago, it was male-clominated; in 1970, computer and peripheral machine operators were 29.1 percent female.
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From page 32... ...
Feldberg and Glenn (1980) note several examples, in addition to the AT&T case, which suggest that women are hired expressly as a transitional labor force in some instances associated with the introduction of electronic data processing.
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From page 33... ...
Several others associated with new technology, such as data processing machine repairers and office mach~ne and cash register servicers, are now more than 90 percent male, but they may provide likely opportunities for women. Many of the other rapidly growing occupations reflect the continued tendency for the service and health sectors to grow; some of those occupations are fairly well integrated, while others are not.
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From page 34... ...
Ike first set of projections, for the labor force as a whole, assumes first that the occupational desegregation of the 1970s will continue throughout the 1980s at a linear rate; the model is then permitted to take a logistic form. Ibe rationale for the assumption of linearity is that since it is easier for women to enter growing occupations than stagnant Growth in Employment 1978-1990 (in thousands)
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From page 35... ...
Beller and Han argue that the rate of occupational desegregation during the 1970s is too great to be maintained during the 1980s because the female labor force is unlikely to grow rapidly enough; all their projections imply higher female labor force participation rates and higher growth in the female share of the labor force than the BLS projects. Hence, they do not believe that the lower levels of occupational segregation they project for 1990 are likely to occur.
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From page 36... ...
The sex segregation index dropped more during the 1970s than during previous decades, and the decline was most pronounced among younger workers. During the past decade men became slightly more likely to work in a few heavily female occupations, such as office machine operator or telephone operator, and women's representation has increased in several predominantly male occupations, including attorney, bank official, computer programmer, baker, bus driver, and bartender.
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