SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Occupational Segregation, Occupational Inequality, Liberal Feminism
Gender and Society: Part II
Head of Household
• The number of women who tell the Census they are the head of their house
Occupational Trends
• Women’s independence has been a long process, starting in the industrial revolution
o Differences between 1950 and 1970 is tremendous
• Greatest gains are coming in modern times
Gender Wage Gap
• Even when doing the same exact jobs, women tend to earn 5-15% less than men
• Gender wage gap – difference between the earnings of women who work full-time year-
round as a group and those of men who work full-time year-round as a group
Gender in the Labor Force
• Women and men do different types of jobs
o When ranking the 20 most common occupations for men and women, only 4
occupations were shared
• Occupational segregation by gender – concentration of men and women in different
occupations
Theories of Occupational Inequality
• Two Points of View
o Labor supply factors – factors that highlight reasons that women or men may
“prefer” particular occupations
o Labor demand factors – factors that highlight the needs and preferences of the
employer
▪ Human capital – skills and knowledge a person possesses that make their
valuable in a particular workplace
Gender and Higher Education
• Today, data suggests women are more invested in education than men
o Exclusion => Segregation => Full Inclusion
• Now women are more likely than men to enroll in college, stay in college, and earn a
degree
Reasons Women are Attending College in Greater Numbers Than Men
• High school graduation rates
o Women are more likely to leave high school with diploma/honors diploma
• Technological age: knowledge is power
• Believe in the utility of college
o Surveys on whether school was useful
• Male jobs that do not require degrees pay better than female jobs without college degrees
o Construction
o Waitress
o Firefighters
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
