Service Sector Growth and Metropolitan Occupational Sex Segregation

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Abstract
Analyses of the largest 130 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in 1980 revealed little support for cultural or human capital explanations of occupational sex segregation. Gender differences in occupational distributions arose more from structural characteristics of urban labor markets than from the characteristics of individuals. Although a larger supply of men relative to women in the labor force increased occupational differences, greater employment in service industries had the most pronounced impact on gender occupational placement. The findings suggest that continued job growth in service industries will lead to greater occupational similarity between the sexes as declining employment opportunities in manufacturing compel more men to assume less gender-segregated positions in social and personal services industries. Linkages between industrial structure, occupations, and indices of dissimilarity were also examined.