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Author: Heymann, Orlaith D.
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Heymann, Orlaith D. |
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The Disadvantage of a Sex-Segregated Labor Market: Sex Composition and the Availability of Work-Family Benefits M.A. Thesis, University of Massachusetts-Boston, August 2013 Cohort(s): NLSY79 Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Keyword(s): Benefits; Gender; Leave, Family or Maternity/Paternity; Occupational Segregation; Occupations, Female; Occupations, Male Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher. In this paper I explore how the sex composition of occupations affects the work-family benefits made available to employees. Conducting a secondary data analysis on a subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY 2010), I utilize a logistic regression modeling strategy including individual-level, workplace-level, and occupation-level characteristics. Previous literature suggests that male-dominated occupations may be unlikely to make work-family benefits available. I hypothesized that female-dominated occupations would be more likely than male-dominated occupations to offer work-family benefits. Consistent with the literature, I found that male-dominated occupations are not likely to offer parental leave or flexible schedules, especially if they are low-prestige occupations. Surprisingly, however, women in male-dominated occupations were especially likely to have parental leave available. Also surprising, I found that occupations with balanced sex compositions offered men the best access to parental leave compared to men in male-dominated occupations and offered both men and women the best access to flexible work schedules compared to male- or female-dominated occupations. My study suggests that efforts to balance occupational sex compositions may result in better availability of work-family benefits for both men and women. Importantly, I argue that the unequal distribution of benefits discovered within male-dominated occupations may create barriers for women trying to enter these occupations, reinforcing sex segregation in the United States' labor market. |
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Bibliography Citation
Heymann, Orlaith D. The Disadvantage of a Sex-Segregated Labor Market: Sex Composition and the Availability of Work-Family Benefits. M.A. Thesis, University of Massachusetts-Boston, August 2013. |