THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL GENDER BELIEFS ON JOB SELECTION AND SEX SEGREGATION OF OCCUPATIONS

1 online resource (62 pages) : PDF

2019

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Moving beyond occupational aspirations to actual selection of occupations, the current research considers the impact of individual gender beliefs on selection of occupations for men who work in male-dominated occupations compared to men who work in mixed-sex or female-dominated occupations and for women who work in female-dominated occupations compared to women who work in mixed-sex or male-dominated occupations. Using a nationally representative sample from the General Social Survey, I compare the sex composition of occupations and responses to survey questions regarding gender beliefs for analyzing the impact of gender beliefs on the occupations people choose. I examine gender beliefs involving women’s roles outside the home and beliefs regarding homosexuality, political views, and religiosity. I find that compared to other men, men who have traditional gender beliefs regarding the role of women in the private sphere are more likely to have male-dominated occupations than mixed-sex or female-dominated occupations. As men’s level of education increases, however, the relationship between these variables no longer reaches statistical significance and the likelihood of men working in male-dominated occupations decreases. I also find that compared to other men, men who believe that homosexual relations are wrong are more likely to work in male-dominated occupations than in mixed-sex or female-dominated occupations. For women, however, the impact of gender beliefs on selection of occupations is not statistically significant. These findings have implications for determining methods for eliminating occupational sex segregation.

masters theses

Sociology
Sex role
Industrial relations

M.A.

Beliefs
Female
Gender
Homosexual
Male
Occupation

Sociology

Fitzgerald, Scott

Yavorsky, Jill
Zhao, Wei

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2019.

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Benson_uncc_0694N_12107

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2299