U.S. Catholic Church-Related Jobs as Dual Labor Markets: A Speculative Inquiry

The post-Vatican II proliferation of U.S. Catholic church-related jobs has gone largely unnoticed by researchers. This article examines such jobs in light of dual labor theory. Based on the career experiences and plans of ministry students at the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University of Chicago, I suggest a preliminary model of U.S. churchwork as segmented into primary (canonical) and secondary (non-canonical) sectors. A third group of jobs does not fit the dual labor model, probably for historical reasons. Some evidence also exists for a trend toward professionalization among religious women wishing to become parish ministers.