Unemployment and Men’s Entrance into Female-dominated Jobs

• In Event: 2451 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 10. Labor Market Entry/Re-Entry

Abstract

Since the 1970s, many male-dominated jobs have contracted while the demand for occupations traditionally held by women has increased significantly, with these patterns expected to continue in the future. Despite these trends, men have made limited progress in entering female-dominated jobs. Using monthly employment histories from the SIPP, we examine whether individual economic conditions—specifically, a period of unemployment—incentivize men to pursue female-dominated work. Specifically, we ask whether men are more likely to enter female-dominated jobs after unemployment, compared to men who take a new job directly from employment. We find that unemployment significantly increases the odds of men entering female-dominated work among men who make job transitions. These results suggest that unemployment may act as a “shock” that prompts men to consider new job alternatives. By examining changes in occupational prestige as well as wage differences before and after unemployment, we also find that, in some cases, men are more likely to move up in pay and occupational prestige when they enter a female-dominated job after unemployment. Accordingly, this study reveals a critical occupational route that mitigates common scarring effects of unemployment and offers men a strategy to remain upwardly mobile.

Authors

• Jill Evelyn Yavorsky, University of North Carolina Charlotte

• Janette S. Dill, University of Akron