Continuing Progress? Trends in Occupational Segregation in the United States over the 1970s and 1980s (original) (raw)
The extent of occupational segregation in the US: Differences by race, ethnicity, and gender
Working Papers, 2010
By using data from the American Community Survey, this paper studies occupational segregation by ethnicity/race and gender in the US by comparing the distribution of any demographic group with the employment structure of the economy. The analysis shows that occupational segregation is particularly intense in the Hispanic and Asian population groups, even though the performance of the former seems to be more disturbing than that of the latter given its higher concentration in low-paid jobs. As opposed to what happens for African and Native Americans, human capital variables explain a substantive part of Hispanic and Asian segregation. The analysis also reveals that the differential between women and men is not reduced after controlling for human capital characteristics. In addition, segregation disparities are much larger among male groups than among female groups. A distinctive characteristic of Hispanic workers is that segregation is higher for men than for women.
Demography, 2012
In this article, we develop a gender-specific crosswalk based on dualcoded Current Population Survey data to bridge the change in the census occupational coding system that occurred in 2000 and use it to provide the first analysis of the trends in occupational segregation by sex for the 1970-2009 period based on a consistent set of occupational codes and data sources. We show that our gender-specific crosswalk more accurately captures the trends in occupational segregation that are masked using the aggregate crosswalk (based on combined male and female employment) provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Using the 2000 occupational codes, we find that segregation by sex declined substantially over the period but at a diminished pace over the decades, falling by only 1.1 percentage points (on a decadal basis) in the 2000s. A primary mechanism by which segregation was reduced was through the entry of new cohorts of women, presumably better prepared than their predecessors and/or encountering less labor market discrimination; during the 1970s and 1980s, however, occupational segregation also decreased within cohorts. Reductions in segregation were correlated with education, with the largest decrease among college graduates and very little change in segregation among high school dropouts.
The impact of changes in local labor market conditions on estimates of occupational segregation
The Review of Black Political Economy, 1992
Recent work by labor economists has suggested that differential labor market treatment of minorities (e.g., occupational segregation) may vary across local labor markets. This study assesses whether changing economic conditions in a local labor market affects the degree of occupational segregation by race and gender in the United States. Our empirical analysis finds evidence that the relative occupational structures of white women and black males are systematically related to changes in certain local labor market conditions.
2020
In this article, we examine changes in the types of occupations that members of various racial/ethnic-gender groups have entered. We are interested in two trends that we believe may have contributed to differences in occupational concentration: budget reductions and policy changes in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforcement procedures, and the continuing increases in women's educational attainment. Using whites, African Americans, and Hispanics in our analysis, we evaluate race and ethnic differences by gender, and gender differences by race and ethnicity; thus, we pay particular attention to the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender in these processes. Our results suggest that white men have maintained their advantage in the occupational hierarchy in the period under investigation, and that white women have made more progress than any other group. For women,
Coming Together? Trends in Black-White Occupational Segregation, 1980 to 2009
2014
Occupational segregation, the differential distribution of groups of workers across occupations, provides one of the most important mechanisms for creating, maintaining and legitimating social inequality. In this study I examine trends in occupational race segregation from 1980 through 2009/2010 and use fixed-effects regression analysis to assess how changes in occupational characteristics such as earnings, benefits and demographic composition are associated with changes in the representation of black men and women. My findings show that after 1980 trends toward racial occupational integration slowed and after 2000 may have began to reverse. Race and sex continue to be important for understanding the occupational distributions of black and white workers as black workers are disadvantaged relative to white workers and black men are especially disadvantaged.
The Intersection of Race/Ethnicity and Gender in Occupational Segregation
International Journal of Sociology, 2010
In this article, we examine changes in the types of occupations that members of various racial/ethnic-gender groups have entered. We are interested in two trends that we believe may have contributed to differences in occupational concentration: budget reductions and policy changes in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforcement procedures, and the continuing increases in women's educational attainment. Using whites, African Americans, and Hispanics in our analysis, we evaluate race and ethnic differences by gender, and gender differences by race and ethnicity; thus, we pay particular attention to the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender in these processes. Our results suggest that white men have maintained their advantage in the occupational hierarchy in the period under investigation, and that white women have made more progress than any other group. For women,
of LaborRecent Trends in Occupational Segregation by Gender: A Look Across the Atlantic
2002
This Discussion Paper is issued within the framework of IZA’s research area Internationalization of Labor Markets. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of the institute. Research disseminated by IZA may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent, nonprofit limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) supported by the Deutsche Post AG. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its research networks, research support, and visitors and doctoral programs. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research resu...
Recent Trends in Occupational Segregation by Gender: A Look Across the Atlantic
SSRN Electronic Journal
Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of the institute. Research disseminated by IZA may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent, nonprofit limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) supported by the Deutsche Post AG. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its research networks, research support, and visitors and doctoral programs. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. The current research program deals with (1) mobility and flexibility of labor, (2) internationalization of labor markets, (3) the welfare state and labor markets, (4) labor markets in transition countries, (5) the future of labor, (6) evaluation of labor market policies and projects and (7) general labor economics. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available on the IZA website (www.iza.org) or directly from the author.
Integrating Occupations: Changing Occupational Sex Segregation in the U.S. from 2000 to 2014
Background: Declining occupational sex segregation in the late 20th century helped to usher in unprecedented occupational and economic advancement for women. As the 21st century dawned, that advancement stalled. Objective: We examine how occupational integration occurred in the early decades of the 21st century by focusing on (1) the extent of occupational feminization and masculinization and (2) occupational succession. More broadly we examine how the representation of women in detailed occupational categories changed between 2000 and 2014, regardless of whether they were historically ‘male’ or ‘female,’ and how sociodemographic characteristics contributed to uneven shifts in occupational integration. Methods: We use Integrated Public Use Microdata Series data to estimate the percentage point female at the detailed occupation level, specifically the 5% census microdata sample for 2000, and two 1% American Community Survey (ACS) samples for 2013 and 2014. Results: Despite a stall in...
On A Symmetric Measure of Occupational Segregation
Social Indicators Research, 2002
Occupational segregation according to sex is widely prevalent in almost all countries. This paper sugge sts and characterizes a symmetric measure of segregation. This measure was originally proposed in a different situation by Jeffreys (1946). We also provide two numerical illustrations of change in segregation over time.
Occupational Segregation by Gender
Equidad y Desarrollo
This paper examines the evolution of gender segregation indexes by occupation in the urban labour markets of Colombia between 1986 and 2004 and presents a decomposition of their changes over time using a technique proposed by Deutsch et al. (2006). We find that a substantial proportion of the reduction in segregation indexes for this country is driven by changes in both, the employment structure of occupations and the increasing female labour participation observed over these years while changes in the gender composition of occupations have favoured mainly government employees and those with university education
Racial Composition and Occupational Segregation and Inequality across American Cities* 1
Social Science …, 2000
The major purpose of the present research is to estimate and compare several measures of race-occupational differentiation across American cities and to examine their relationships to structural and compositional characteristics of cities, especially to the size of the Black population. Using the 1990 PUMS for American cities (MSAs), we estimated measures of nominal segregation and ordinal inequality that were used in past research. The measures used in our analysis include the index of dissimilarity, size standardized index of dissimilarity, index of net differences, and the ratio index that was proposed recently in the literature. The findings reveal considerable differences between the standardized and unstandardized measures. The meaning of the findings and their implications for theoretical conclusions are discussed.
Occupational status in 2000; over a century of census-based measurement
Population Research and Policy Review, 2004
The Nam-Powers-Boyd Occupational Status Scale for the year 2000 is introduced here. It is the sixth in a decennial series of such scales that were initiated at the Census Bureau a half century earlier. The bureau's examination of occupational status actually goes back to the end of the 19th century and its thread continues today. The historical background of the 2000 scale, the methodology for constructing the scores, some comparisons with other occupational scales, the 2000 scores themselves, and applications of the 2000 scores are presented.
Documenting desegregation: EEO-1 estimates of US establishment sex and ethnic segregation 1966-2000
… , North Carolina State …, 2004
Previous research suggests that U.S. race/ethnic and sex based employment segregation has declined since the 1960s. This conclusion is based on analyses of aggregate national trends in occupational segregation. In this paper we track male-female, Black-white, and Hispanic-white segregation trends using private sector establishment level data collected by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We disaggregate these trends by major industry distinctions, region of the country. The general pattern is that segregation declined for all three categorical comparisons between 1966 and 1980. After 1980 only sex segregation continued to decline markedly. We estimate regression-based decompositions in the time trends for workplace desegregation. These decompositions suggest that changes in industrial structure and the regional composition of employment account for about a third of observed desegregation for all three comparisons.
Documenting Desegregation: Segregation in American Workplaces by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex, 1966–2003
American Sociological Review, 2006
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act made employment discrimination and segregation on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex illegal in the United States. Previous research based on analyses of aggregate national trends in occupational segregation suggests that sex and race/ethnic employment segregation has declined in the United States since the 1960s. We add to the existing knowledge base by documenting for the first time male-female, black-white, and Hispanic-white segregation trends using private sector workplace data. The general pattern is that segregation declined for all three categorical comparisons between 1966 and 1980, but after 1980 only sex segregation continued to decline markedly. We estimate regression-based decompositions in the time trends for workplace desegregation to determine whether the observed changes represent change in segregation behavior at the level of workplaces or merely changes in the sectoral and regional distribution of workplaces with stable industrial or local labor market practices. These decompositions suggest that, in addition to desegregation caused by changes in the composition of the population of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission monitored private sector firms, there has been real workplace-level desegregation since 1964.