Occupational Sex-Typing and Employment Transitions among Women and Men

Hyunjoo Min, Cornell University
Marin Clarkberg, Cornell University

Female workers have traditionally exhibited more sporadic attachments to the labor force than their male counterparts. This is in part because of sex differences in responses to family transitions such as childbearing, but it may also reflect differences in the types of jobs that men and women hold. In this paper, we consider the role of the sex segregation of occupations in job turnover, examining how the sex-typing of occupations shapes both exits from jobs and re-entrances into the labor force after a period of non-employment, among both men and women. Our preliminary results indicate that female occupations are associated with lower rates of job exit and re-entrances to the labor force for both men and women. In addition, the timing of employment transitions is significantly influenced by family status, such as childrearing for both men and women. Future analyses will examine the types of occupations at re-entry to work.