Reconsidering Sex-Based Occupational Segregation and Agency Missions: An Analysis of U.S. State Bureaucracies (1987-2015) Using Two Different Thresholds

We examine Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data (1987-2015) to determine whether sex-based occupational segregation among administrative and professional workforces is related to state agency policy missions. Based on two thresholds, the customary 30% benchmark and the 50% benchmark of parit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Administration & society 2020-03, Vol.52 (3), p.431-465
Main Authors: Hunt, Valerie H., Rucker, Larra, Kerr, Brinck
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bureaucracy
Employment
Employment opportunities
Government agencies
Natural resources
Occupational segregation
States
Thresholds
Women
Workplaces
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We examine Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data (1987-2015) to determine whether sex-based occupational segregation among administrative and professional workforces is related to state agency policy missions. Based on two thresholds, the customary 30% benchmark and the 50% benchmark of parity, the findings indicate segregation is related to policy missions. The 30% benchmark suggests a story of widespread progress across state bureaucracies. The 50% benchmark suggests less progress, especially, in police, fire, corrections, utilities, natural resources, and highways. The authors argue it is important to use multiple indicators to assess the progress of women in the workplace.
ISSN:0095-3997
1552-3039
DOI:10.1177/0095399719836741