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

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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

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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?