Occupational Segregation and the Career Mobility of White Men and Women

Much research has examined the impact of occupational segregation on the gender gap in wages. This research clearly implies that men and women are sorted into dissimilar career tracks. Unfortunately, the few studies on the career impacts of occupational segregation are inconclusive because of reliance on anecdotal evidence, research done in a single firm or in the public sector, and problems in measuring career mobility. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), two employment transitions of prime-age white workers were examined: upward wage mobility and transitions into joblessness. Information on the percentage of males working in the respondent's occupation was merged into the PSID. In the presence of controls, percentage of males in the occupation was positively related to men's chances of receiving a wage promotion. For women, occupational segregation positively influenced movement to joblessness. The results support the notion that women in male-dominated occupations do not move up the career ladder, but rather are pressured to move out of these positions. The article concludes with a call for additional research on the relationship between gender dynamics in the work setting and individual career paths.