Plus Ca Change...? The Sexual Structure of Occupations over Time

Through use of an adaptation of the Duncans' Index of Segregation, a measure of the amount of sexual segregation in occupations is calculated for each Census year from 1900 to 1960. Detailed occupations are employed in order to avoid masking effects of broad categories. No change in amount of segregation over this 60 year period is evident. Through use of a measure devised by Gibbs to hold size structure “constant,” some evidence for a decrease in segregation is derived. Such decrease seems to be accompanied by continued resistance by male occupations to females but decreased resistance by female occupations to the entry of males. The latter tendency, it is suggested, should be more carefully studied.