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What Jobs Do Women and Men Have?
In recent decades, the biggest change in the American occupational structure has been the increasing representation of women in the managerial, administrative, and professional ranks.1 Since 1985, the percentage of women who are managers or professionals has increased from 24 percent to 32 percent.
But there are still occupational categories where women or men are heavily concentrated. For example, nearly one in four working women are in administrative support positions, compared with about one in 20 men. Nearly one in five working men are precision production workers,2 compared with one in 50 working women. Also, a higher proportion of working women than of working men are classified as professionals, but most professional women are primary or secondary school teachers and registered nurses.
The movement of women into the highest-paid occupational categories has helped reduce the difference between women's and men's wages. In 1999, the median wage for women who worked full-time, year-round was $473 per week, compared with $618 per week for men. Even within occupational categories, however, women's wages remain lower than men's.
1 Professionals include professional specialists, nurses, and teachers.
2 Precision production workers include mechanics, repairers, and those in construction trades and other precision production occupations.
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| Composition
of the Female and Male Work Forces, by Occupation, 2000 |
| (Numbers
in thousands) |
| Category |
#
women |
%
of female work force in group |
#
men |
%
of male work force in group |
| Executives,
managers |
8,888 |
14.1 |
10,877 |
15.3 |
| Professional,
specialty |
11,309 |
17.9 |
9,420 |
13.2 |
| Technicians |
2,324 |
3.7 |
2,060 |
2.9 |
| Sales |
7,931 |
12.6 |
8,207 |
11.5 |
| Administrative
support |
15,112 |
23.9 |
3,908 |
5.5 |
| Private
household |
843 |
1.3 |
40 |
0.1 |
| Protective
service |
431 |
0.7 |
1,934 |
2.7 |
| Other
services |
9,938 |
15.7 |
5,485 |
7.7 |
| Farming,
forestry, fishing |
729 |
1.2 |
2,515 |
3.5 |
| Precision
production |
1,410 |
2.2 |
12,975 |
18.2 |
| Machine
operators |
2,576 |
4.1 |
4,775 |
6.7 |
| Transportation,
material moving |
554 |
0.9 |
4,786 |
6.7 |
| Handlers,
laborers |
1,056 |
1.7 |
4,254 |
6 |
| Total |
63,102 |
100 |
71,237 |
100 |
| Representation
of Women and Men in Major Occupations, 2000 |
| % |
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| |
Women |
Men |
Total |
| Executives,
managers |
45 |
55 |
100 |
| Professional,
specialty |
55 |
45 |
100 |
| Technicians |
53 |
47 |
100 |
| Sales |
49 |
51 |
100 |
| Administrative
support |
80 |
20 |
100 |
| Private
household |
95 |
5 |
100 |
| Protective
service |
18 |
82 |
100 |
| Other
services |
64 |
36 |
100 |
| Farming,
forestry, fishing |
23 |
77 |
100 |
| Precision
production |
10 |
90 |
100 |
| Machine
operators |
35 |
65 |
100 |
| Transportation,
material moving |
10 |
90 |
100 |
| Handlers,
laborers |
20 |
80 |
100 |
| Total
work force |
47 |
53 |
100 |
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Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Download Data Files
Time-Series Data by Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Region
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