Methodological Innovations &Key Findings

Jean Martin

Department of Sociology UNIVERSITY of OXFORD

From the Women and Employment Survey

Innovations

• Work and life histories

• Classification of women’s occupations

• Measure of occupational segregation at the workplace

• Attitudes to work, jobs and roles

• Complementary qualitative studies

Work and life histories

• Dates of key events: birth, marriage, end of marriage, births of children

• Dates of changes between working full and part time and not working

• Reasons for changes

• Details of all jobs

Economic activity by age (except FT students)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

16-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59

Age

%

Unemployed

Working part time

Working full time

% women working by age and birth cohort

01020

3040506070

8090

100

16-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59

Age

%

Birth cohort

1920-24

1925-29

1930-34

1935-39

1940-44

1945-49

1950-54

1955-59

1960-64

% of women returning to work by period of 1st birth

01020

3040506070

8090

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Years since 1st birth

%

Period of first birth

1945-49

1950-54

1955-59

1960-64

1965-69

1970-74

1975-79

Occupational segregation

• Previous measures had been at national level

• WES found much higher levels of segregation at workplace level

• 63% of women worked in jobs only done by other women – – 58% of FT and 70% of PT workers

• 81% of husbands worked in jobs only done by other men

Classifying women’s occupations: RG class and WES

I

II

IIINM

IIIM

IV

V

1. Professional2. Teachers3. Nursing, medical, social4. Other intermediate n-m5. Clerical6. Sales7. Skilled manual8. Semi-skilled factory9. Semi-skilled domestic10. Other semi-skilled11. Unskilled

%1676

3097

1011

49

%1

19

43

7

25

9

Occupational mobility

• 37% experienced downward mobility on returning to work after childbearing

• 45% of women returning to work part time were downwardly mobile– compared with 19% returning full time

Attitudes to working/not working

If working:

• Financial dependence on work

• Intrinsic attractions of work

• Coping with home and work

If not working:

• Feelings about not having a job

• Financial need to work

Findings

• High financial dependence on work– Not just for ‘pin money’

• Non working women with children had higher financial stress

• Most enjoyed work and were satisfied with their jobs– Hours of work and people at work more

important than pay and prospects

• Young childless women less satisfied

General attitudes to women and work

• Traditional attitudes to home and work• Benefits of work to women and family• Attitudes to women working with children of

different ages

• Psychological stress• Financial independence• Wives’ views of husband’s attitudes• Importance of various recent legal and policy

changes

Findings

“A husband’s job is to earn the money; a wife’s job is to look after the home and family”

46% agreed (15% in 2002)

“A married woman with children under school age ought to stay at home”

65% agreed (46% in 2002)

Complementary qualitative studies

• Using mixed methods wasn’t really innovatory even in 1980

• Qualitative research to inform research questions and questionnaire design

• Qualitative follow-up studies to explore issues in detail– the meaning of ‘unemployment’ to those

not working

In conclusion

The technological challenges

My favourite survey ever!