Revisiting occupational sex segregation in the United States, 1910-1990: Results from a log-linear approach

Abstract

I reexamine trends in the strength and structure of occupational sex segregation in the United States from 1910 to 1990. Logmultiplicative models show significant change in the association between gender and occupation. Contrary to conventional characterizations, a substantial proportion of this change occurred before 1970. Likewise, a margin-free index shows more integration over the century than do conventional indices. These discrepancies arise from occupation-specific variations in the trajectory of sex segregation: Highly segregated occupations were especially likely to integrate between 1930 and 1940. I identify regions of the occupational structure and pivotal periods in which shifts in segregation occurred and compare these results with conventional historical accounts.