Sink jobs and gender inequalities
Shirley Dex
Centre for Longitudinal Studies, GeNet
Sub-brand to go here
CLS is an ESRC Resource Centre based at the Institute of Education
2
Introduction• This topic important for gender inequality
• Topic is part of a larger research project on career mobility over men’s and women’s lives
• Using the ESRC British Birth Cohorts data resources which offer large-scale, very rich data on men’s and women’s employment and career histories
Edit footer detail manually
3
Plan of the Talk• What are the potential gender equality issues an economic downturn raises?
•What is happening to women’s and men’s jobs in the credit crunch set against what has been happening earlier?
• What do we know from the past about the effects of economic downturns?
– On entry into the labour market– On career development over time
• ConclusionsEdit footer detail manually
Potential gender equality issues• Are women disproportionately affected compared with men in
Losing jobs/redundancy? Getting their first jobs at entry to the labour market ? Getting promotions within jobs?
• Is there a difference in what happens at the top and bottom ends of the occupational hierarchy?
• Are there different experiences between sub-groups of women/men – some more vulnerable than others?
Workforce percent in employment 16-59/65, 1971- 2008, UK
50556065707580859095
100
Males Females
In employment, 1971-2008 UK (thousands)
80009000
1000011000
1200013000
1400015000
1600017000
Males Females
Percents of selected occupational groups, 1997-2008 MEN
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 20072007 2008
Professional
Admin & secretarial
Personal services
Ass professionals
Elementary
Percents of selected occupational groups, 1997-2008 WOMEN
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 200720072008
Professional
Admin & secretarial
Personal services
Ass professionals
Elementary
9
Unemployment rates, Employment millions,1971-2008
0
5
10
15
20
Men Unem
Men Emp
Fem FT
Fem PT
UK workforce jobs, 1978-2008 - MALES (thousands)
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Manufacturing
Distribution/hotels
Finance/business services
Ed/health/pub adm.
UK workforce jobs, 1978-2008 - FEMALES (thousands)
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Manufacturing
Distribution/hotels
Finance/business services
Ed/health/pub adm.
Conclusions - gender differences in employment?
• Yes, sector and occupational gender differences• But ‘No’, evidence on inequalities in employment,
or job loss• It’s too early to say whether there are or will be
disproportionate job losses by gender• Part-time jobs, mainly held by women, mainly at
the bottom of the occupational hierarchy, have been unaffected by economic cycles in the past.
Economic downturn effects on entry into the lowest occupations•Child care
•Domestic staff & related
occupations
•Hairdressers, beauticians
•Other occs in agriculture
•Catering
•Sales assistants
•Other occs in sales &
services
•Receptionists•Road transport operatives•Other occupations in mining•Personal & protective services•Textile, garment & related•Food preparation
Conditions at entry 1958 cohort
Left school at Unemp
16 3%
18 5.2%
21 4.8%
1970 cohort
Left school at Unemp
16 11.8%
18 8.6%
21 10.4%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Less
than
O le
vel
O le
vel a
nd e
q.
A le
vel a
nd e
q.
Sub
-deg
ree
Deg
ree
Less
than
O le
vel
O le
vel a
nd e
q.
A le
vel a
nd e
q.
Sub
-deg
ree
Deg
ree
Less
than
O le
vel
O le
vel a
nd e
q.
A le
vel a
nd e
q.
Sub
-deg
ree
Deg
ree
1946 1958 1970
Mean occupational earnings scores in first jobs
Men Women
• Men and women who enter lowest ranking occupations have approximately equal chances of upward career mobility in their early careers.
• For men, the lowest level jobs were like a stepping stone to a better position
• But women tend to fall back much more than men. For women low level occupations are more of a trap.
Effects on career progression
Changes between cohorts - women• The effects of entering at the lowest levels was
worse for women in the 1970 cohort compared with the 1958 cohort
• Women born in 1970 entering in labour market had compared with women born in 1958
– Higher proportions in the lowest jobs– Lower chances of mobility out of these jobs– Higher chances of downward mobility once they got
out of the bottom occupations
Effects of lowest entry occupations on risk of downward mobility over rest of career
WOMEN
-0.5 0.50-0.25 0.25
3rd level Bottom level
2nd level
4th levelTop levelCohort-1958
-0.5 0.50-0.25 0.25
3rd level Bottom level
2nd level
4th levelTop levelCohort-1970
MEN
0.50 0.25-0.25-0.5
3rd level
Bottom level
2nd level4th levelTop level
Cohort-1958
0.50-0.5 0.25-0.25
3rd level
Bottom level
2nd level
4th level
Top levelCohort-1970
ImplicationsThere are some pointers from previous recessions about
what might happen. In the current recession:• Young women may enter the labour market with lower
occupational status than young men, on average.• Young women entering the labour market at the bottom of
the occupational hierarchy may do worse than young women from an earlier birth cohort, entering in better labour market conditions in earlier periods.
• Young women who enter at the bottom of the occupational hierarchy may do worse in their subsequent career chances than an earlier cohorts who entered under better conditions.
Questions?