The Impact of Occupational Segregation on Working Conditions

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Abstract
This analysis uses data from the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey to investigate the impact of occupational sex segregation on a select set of working conditions. In particular, the contention that sex segregation arises from women's preferences for jobs that mesh easily with family caregiving is addressed. Controlling for the gender of the respondent, results show that occupational segregation does account for observed gender differences in unsupervised break time, fairness of promotion policies, and job flexibility, and reduces the sex differential in benefits and chances for promotion. However, it does not explain gender differences in social rewards, interpersonal stress, or job challenge and interest. Finally, evidence here suggests that predominantly female jobs are not necessarily jobs with characteristics that accommodate family responsibilities. On the contrary, workers in predominantly female jobs were less likely to report that their jobs were flexible or easy to perform. Results are discussed with respect to human capital and segmented market theories of gender differentiation in the labor force.

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