The Race and Educational Attainment of Men in Female-Dominated Occupations in 1980 and 2010

• In Event: 1563 - Gender Segregation and the Culture or Structure Quandary

Abstract

A critical factor in fully reducing gender occupational segregation centers on men’s entrance into female-dominated fields, but we know little about the men who enter female-dominated fields both now and in the past. We examine how the intersection of race and educational attainment shape men’s entry into female-dominated occupations across two decades using data from the 1980 U.S. Census and 2010 American Community Survey (ACS). The results of our main effects analysis indicate that white and Latino men as well as men with low levels of education are the least likely to be working in female-dominated occupations in both 1980 and 2010. In the results of our intersectional analysis, Asian men manifest a pattern different from all other racial groups. At lower levels of education, Asian men are substantially more likely to be working in a female-dominated occupation relative to all other racial groups both in 1980 and 2010. In contrast, Asian men with an advanced degree are substantially less likely to be working in a female-dominated occupation–a pattern that strengthened over time from 8% in 1980 to 4% in 2010. During the same time period, highly educated Black, Latino, mixed-race, and Native men made substantial gains in their entry into female-dominated occupations. For example, in 1980 13% of Black men with an advanced degree worked in a female-dominated occupation compared to 20% in 2010. Our findings support that the idea that stall in the occupational revolution is not only gendered, but also raced and classed.

Authors

• Trenton M. Haltom, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Christina Falci, University of Nebraska-Lincoln