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UNDERUTILIZATION OF WOMEN WORKERS WOMEN'S BUREAU WORKPLACE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION U.S. D E P A R T M E N T 1971 OF LABOR (revised) "Tlie fact remains that we cannot reconcile some contemporary remarkable inequalities affecting women with our stated national principle of equality for all citizens." J.D. Hodgson Secretary of Labor UNDERUTILIZATION OF WOMEN WORKERS WOMEN'S BUREAU Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, Director WORKPUCE STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION Robert D. Moran, Administrator U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR J.D. Hodgson, Secretary NOTE Data f o r minority races represent races other than white. all Negroes con- s t i t u t e about 92 percent of a l l persons other than white i n the United States. For saJe by the Sapertntendent of Documents, XJ.8. Govenmient Printing Office Washington, D.C. 2CK02 - Price 36 cents FOREWORD Recognizing that the 30 m i l l i o n women workers today "are not a u x i l i a r y workers but an i n t e g r a l part of the work f o r c e , as A s s i s t a n t Secretary of Labor Arthur A. F l e t c h e r recently remarked, the Women's Bureau b e l i e v e s that an examination of the u t i l i z a t i o n o f t h i s s u b s t a n t i a l p o r t i o n of the human resources of our Nation i s urgently needed^ F i f t y years ago, when the Women's Bureau was founded, our primary concern was the e x p l o i t a t i o n of women workers. No longer i s t h i s t r u e . No longer do we need t o place primary emphasis on the establishment of safety standards 6T the e l i m i n a t i o n of long working hours and a p p a l l i n g working conditions• But there are s t i l l serious i n e q u a l i t i e s i n the labor market which r e s u l t i n the u n d e r u t i l i z a t i o n of women workers. There are s t i l l b a r r i e r s which deny women the freedom t o prepare f o r and enter employment suited t o t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l i n t e r e s t s and a b i l i t i e s , and t o advance and achieve r e c o g n i t i o n (monetary or otherwise) t o the f u l l extent of which they are capable. L e g i s l a t i o n t o assure wcmen e q u a l i t y of pay and nondiscrimination i n employment has been passed at the Federal and State l e v e l s . The Federal Equal Pay Act of 1963^ which was an amendment t o the F a i r Labor Standards A c t , assures women equal pay f o r equal work. However, since many employees are not covered under the Federal a c t , 36 States have enacted equal pay laws, and f i v e others and the D i s t r i c t of Columbia have f a i r employment p r a c t i c e s laws p r o h i b i t i n g d i s c r i m i n a t i o n i n pay based on sex. T i t l e V I I of the Federal C i v i l Rights Act of 196^ p r o h i b i t s d i s c r i m i n a t i o n i n employment on the b a s i s of sex. Twenty-three States and the D i s t r i c t of Columbia have a s i m i l a r p r o h i b i tion. Implementation of the two Federal statutes has been e f f e c t i v e . I n v e s t i g a t i o n s under the equal pay p r o v i s i o n s had d i s c l o s e d , by the end of A p r i l 1970, underpayments of more than $17 m i l l i o n t o more than 50,000 employees during the neaxly 5 years of enforcement. Of a l l comp l a i n t s received i n f i s c a l year I969 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under t i t l e V I I o f the C i v i l R i ^ t s Act, almost 2 , 7 0 0 , or about o n e - f i f t h , were concerned w i t h d i s c r i m i n a t i o n on the b a s i s of sex. Considerable progress has a l s o been made i n p r o v i d i n g equal opportunities f o r women employed d i r e c t l y by the F e d e r a l Government o r by Federal c o n t r a c t o r s . As e a r l y as 1923 the C i v i l Service Classi f i c a t i o n Act provided t h a t Federal employees receive equal pay f o r equal work. D i s c r i m i n a t i o n on the b a s i s o f sex (as w e l l as race, c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , or n a t i o n a l o r i g i n ) i n a l l aspects of F e d e r a l employment i s now p r o h i b i t e d under Executive Order I I U 7 8 , administered by the C i v i l Service Commission. Ill DiBcrimination by Federal c o n t r a c t o r and subcontractors i s prohibited under Executive Order 112U6, as amended by Executive Order 11375, administered by the O f f i c e of Federal Contract Ccmpllance (OFCC) of the Department of Labor. Sex d i s c r i m i n a t i o n guidelines, s e t t i n g out i n d e t a i l the regulations governing the lnqplementation o f t h i s Executive older, vere issued by the OFCC i n June 1970. Despite these steps forward, there i s a great deal more t o be acccmplished. The need t o improve voaaen's r e l a t i v e p o s i t i o n i n the economy i s s t i l l uigent. F a i l u r e t o grant wcmen and g i r l s equal opportunities i n teims of Job t r a i n i n g , educational programs, occupat i o n a l entrance, advancement, and pay creates severe economic hardship, even poverty, f o r many women and f o r many f a m i l i e s dependent I n whole or i n part on a woman's earnings. I n addition, f a i l u r e t o u t i l i z e f u l l y the t a l e n t s and a b i l i t i e s of wanen diminishes our total productive e f f o r t , deprives the economy of woikers needed f o r v i t a l domestic programs, and has a depressing e f f e c t on the ^ o l e Job s t r u c t u r e . Occupationally wcmen are more disadvantaged, compared w i t h men, than they were 30 years ago. I n 1 9 ^ they h e l d 45 percent of a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l p o s i t i o n s . I n 1969 they h e l d only 37 percent of such Jobs. This d e t e r i o r a t i o n i n t h e i r r o l e i n career f i e l d s r e l a t i v e t o men has occurred despite the increase i n women's share of t o t a l employment over the same p e r i o d . On the other hand, the proport i o n of women among a l l service workers (except p r i v a t e household) has increased since I9I1O—rising from 1*0 t o 59 percent. The b a r r i e r s are s t i l l h i ^ against enqploying women i n professions other than those t r a d i t i o n a l l y associated w i t h wcmen, and many of the myths regarding women's a b i l i t y t o h o l d administrative and managerial p o s i t i o n s s t i l l p r e v a i l . I l l u s t r a t i v e of the i n e q u a l i t i e s wcmen face i n entering p r o f e s s i o n a l careers i n business and industry are the differences i n scOarles o f f e r e d t o women and men. Wcmen graduating from college i n 1970 i n s i x f i e l d s of i n t e r e s t were being o f f e r e d s t a r t i n g s a l a r i e s from 3 t o 10 percent lower than those o f f e r e d t o men i n the same f i e l d s . Many women hold Jobs f a r from commensurate w i t h t h e i r a b i l i t l e B and educational achievement. For example, i n March I 9 6 9 , I9 percent of the woridLng wcmen who had completed k years of c o l l e g e were employed i n nonprofessional Jobs as c l e r i c a l , sales, o r service workers or as operatives, mainly i n f a c t o r i e s . The growing share of jobs h e l d by women i n the lower paying occupations I n recent years i s r e f l e c t e d i n the gap between the median ( h a l f above, h a l f below) earnings of women and men. I n 1957 the median wage or i a l a i y income of wcmen who worked 35 hours or more a week f o r 50 t o 52 weeks was 6k percent of t h a t received by men. I n 1968 median earnings of comparably employed women were only 58 percent o f those received by men. N Moreover, more wanen than men experience periods of unemployment during the year. Unemployment rates of women have heen c o n s i s t e n t l y h i ^ e r than those of men during the l a s t decade and vere and 2.8 percent, respectively, i n 1969* Therefore, i t i s not s u i p r i s i n g that poverty i s more severe among f a m i l i e s headed by women than liy men workers. An alarming percent of the f a m i l i e s headed by women workers of m i n o r i t y races l i v e d i n poverty i n I968, as compared w i t h 16 percent of those headed by male workers of minority races. The f o l l o w i n g b r i e f summary statements and charts document aspects of the u n d e r u t i l i z a t i o n of women workers. I t i s our hope that these h i ^ l i ^ t s on the economic p o s i t i o n of wcmen workers may prove h e l p f u l i n e f f o r t s t o assure more e f f e c t i v e use of our n a t i o n a l resource of womanpower. E l i z a b e t h Duncan Koontz D i r e c t o r , Waaen's Bureau CHART A.-IVIOST WOMEN WORK BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC NEED Women With Work Experience in 1968 SINGLE WIDOWED, DIVORCED, OR SEPARATED MARRIED (husband present) 8% 9% J Under $3,000 \ $3,0Q04,999 13% f $5,0006,999 30% J HUSBAND'S INCOME Source: See page 25 I V $7,000 and over J Most Wcmen WoA Because of Econocilc Need (Chart A) Most women v o i k t o support themselves o r others* m i l l i o n women Of the 37 woriced a t sane time i n 1968^ 17 percent were widowed, divorced^ or separated f r o n t h e i r husbands; many o f these women were r a i s i n g c h i l d r e n i n a f a t h e r l e s s hone. workers were s i n g l e . Another 23 percent of women I n a d d i t i o n , married women whose husbands' incomes are inadequate or b a r e l y adequate t o support t h e i r f a m i l i e s o f t e n are compelled t o seek g a i n f u l employment. E i ^ t percent of a l l wonen who worked i n I 9 6 8 had husbands w i t h annual incomes below $3,000. An a d d i t i o n a l 22 percent had husbands whose incomes were between $3^000 and $7,000 a t a time when the annual income necessaiy even f o r a low standard of l i v i n g f o r an laban f a m i l y of f o u r was estimated at $ 6 , 5 6 7 . CHART B.-WOMEN ARE 3 TIMES AS LIKELY AS MEN TO EARN LESS THAN $5,000 FOR YEAR - ROUND FULL-TIME^ WORK Year-Round Full-Time Workers, by Total Money Earnings and Sex, 1968) Under $3,000 $3,000 - $4,999 J / 50 to 52 weeks a year, 35 hours or more a week. Source: See page 25 $5,000 - $6,999 $7,000 - $9,999 $10,000 and over Women Are 3 Tljnes as L i k e l y as Men To Earn Less Than $5^000 f o r Year^Round Full-^Tlme Woik (Chart B) About 3 out of 5 woaen but only 1 out of 5 i^en who vorked year round f u l l time i n I968 had earnings of l e s s than $5,000. Moreover, 20 percent of the wcoien but only 8 percent of men earned l e s s than $3>000. At the upper end o f the earnings scale, only 3 pereent o f the vcmen but 28 percent of the men who woiked year round f u l l time had earnings of $10,000 or more. CHART C.-THE EARNINGS GAP BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN REMAINS WIDE (Median Wage or Salary Income of Year-Round Full-Time-^ Workers, by Sex, 1957-68 MEDIAN EARNINGS $8,000 Men $6,000 $4,000 . Uf n m o n . If U l l l c l l $2,000 0 1957 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 -1/ 50 to 52 weeks a year, 35 hours or more a week. 2 J Data for 1967 and 1968 are not strictly comparable with prior years since they include earnings of self-employed persons. Source: See page 25 1968 The Earnings Gap Between Women and Men Itemalns Wide (Chart C) I n 1957 the median earnings of year-round f u l l - t i m e vomen workers were 6k percent of those of men. By I 9 6 6 the p r o p o r t i o n had dropped t o 58 percent, where i t remained I n 1967 and 1968* The earnings gap amounted t o more than $3^000 i n I968, when the median earnings of year-round f u l l - t i m e women and men woxkers were and respectively. CHART D.-MILLIONS OF WOMEN ARE iN LOW - PAID OCCUPATIONS (Year-Round Full-Tlme-^ Women Workers, by Selected Occupations and Median Wage or Salary Income, 1968 MILLIONS 5,943,000 6 ii.t^ v" JL 2,449,000 a ws 1,924,000 XlvtijUl^ 723,000 435,000 Private Household Workers ^ Service. Workers (except private household] Sales Workers i / 5 0 to 52 weeks sl year, 35 hours or more a week. Source: See page 25 6 J J ^^ Operatives Clerical Workers M i l l i o n s o f Women Are I n Lay*Pald Occiqpatlons (Chart P) About 3*1 m i l l i o n vomen vho worked year 3X)und roll time i n 1968 were s a l e s workers^ s e r v i c e workers (except p r i v a t e household), and p r i v a t e household workers. T h e i r median wage o r s a l a r y inccoies were $3,1*61, $3,332,€md $1,523, r e s p e c t i v e l y . Another 2.U m i l l i o n yea3>round f u l l - t i m e wcmen woikers were operatives—mainly f a c t o r y w o i k e r s — w i t h a median wage o r s a l a i y incone o f $3,991* CHART E - W O M E N ' S SHARE IN PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL WORK HAS DECLINED (Women as Percent of Total Employed, All Occupations and Professional and Technical Occupations, 1940-69; PERCENT 60 50 00 ^ ^ ^ 40 30 f Professional and Tiechnical Occupatio ns ^^ All Occijpations 20 to 0 1940 1945 Source: See page 25 1950 1955 1960 1965 1969 Women's Share I n P r o f e s s i o n a l and Technical Work Has Declined (Chart E) A l t h o u ^ the number of wcmen employed i n p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l occupations has eJiaost t r i p l e d since vanen are a smaller p r o p o r t i o n of a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l workers today than they vere before World War I I . Women represented 3T percent of a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l workers i n I969 as caapared w i t h percent i n I n contrast, the proportion of wcmen among a l l workers increased from 26 t o 37 percent over the same p e r i o d . CHART F.-WOMEN ARE INADEQUATELY REPRESENTED IN LEADING PROFESSIONS (Women as Percent of Total Employed, Selected Professions) Faculty in Institutions of Higher E d u c a t i o n ^ Scientists Physicians Lawyers f; i^lrt&riyii Engineers Federal Judges Includes other professional staff. Source: See page 25 Wcanen Are Inadequately Bepresented I n Leading ProfesBlons (Chart F) Women h o l d a d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y small share of p o s i t i o n s in l e a d i n g professions despite t h e i r 37 percent share of a l l p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l occupations i n 1969* Althougji vomen t r a d i t i o n a l l y have made up a large p a r t of the teacher coips, i n recent years only 22 percent of the f a c u l t y and other p r o f e s s i o n a l s t a f f i n i n s t i t u t i o n s o f h i ^ e r education vere vomen. T h i s i s a considerably smaller p r o p o r t i o n than they vere i n 19kO (28 percent), 1930 (27 percent), or 1920 (26 percent) and only s l i ^ t l y ahove the SO percent they vere i n 1910• Wcmen are h e a v i l y represented i n the h e a l t h f i e l d s , but i n 1968 only 7 percent of a l l physicians were women. S i m i l a r l y , women had only a token representation among s c i e n t i s t s (9 percent), (3 percent), and engineers ( l p e r c e n t ) . 11 lawyers CHART G.-STARTING SALARIES OF COLLEGE GRADUATES ARE LOWER FOR WOMEN THAN FOR MEN (Average Monthly Starting Salaries of Women and Men With Bachelor's Degrees, 1970) $500 $600 $700 $900 $800 T FT Engineering 3 $844 fiiilfniiiiiiifiinfiiiBiMiiitmwiii Accounting S Chemistry $773 Mathematics Statistics Economics Finance 1 Liberal Arts I W •• • Men $688 . • . • J .^ ^ ' - Lr- r . t. ^ - Source: See page 25 i ,1 ~ W o m e n $872 s t a r t i n g S a l a r i e s of College Graduates Are Lower f o r Women Than f o r Men (Chart G) Average monthly s t a r t i n g s a l a r i e s being o f f e r e d t o 1970 women c o l l e g e graduates i n s i x f i e l d s of I n t e r e s t by 110 business and i n d u s t r i a l f i i m s ranged from $l8 t o $86 l e s s than the s a l a r i e s being o f f e r e d t o men c o l l e g e graduates i n the same f i e l d s . Monthly s t a r t i n g s a l a r i e s f o r wcmen were h i ^ e s t and were not f a r below those of men i n engineering, w i t h monthly saleud.es of and $872 f o r men. f o r women I n accounting, however, where s a l a r i e s being o f f e r e d t o men were almost as h i ^ as i n engineering, the gap between the s a l a r i e s of vcmen and men was the l a r g e s t (women, J men, $832), Salary d i f f e r e n t i a l s between men and wcmen were lowest i n the f i e l d s of economics and finance (wcmen, $700; men, $718) and mathematics and s t a t i s t i c s (wcmen, $ 7 ^ ; aen, $773)* 13 CHART H.-WOMEN ARE INCREASING AMONG WORKERS IN LESS SKILLED JOBS Women as Percent of Total Employed, All Occupations and Service Occupations,^ 1940-69) PERCENT 60 50 ^ ^ ^ Servi ce Occupations J/ 40 30 All Occupcitions 20 10 0 1940 1945 Except private household. Source: See page 25 1950 1955 1960 1965 1969 Wcmen Are Increasing Among Workers i n Less S k i l l e d Jobs (Chart H) I n contrast t o the d e c l i n i n g proportion of vomen among p r o f e s s i o n a l and t e c h n i c a l woikers, the proportion of women I n the l e s s s k i l l e d and lower p a i d service occupations I s Increasing« Women were 59 percent o f a l l service workers (except p r i v a t e household) i n 1969 as compared w i t h kO percent i n 19^* 15 CHART l.-MANY WOMEN WORKERS ARE UNDERUTILIZED IN RELATION TO THEIR EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMEN" PERCENT 80 Women With 1 or More Years of College Employed in the Less Skilled Occupations, 1969 70 69% 60 50 Clerical Workers 48% • 40 Sales Workers 30 Operatives 20 Service Workers (including private household] 10 Sales Workers, Operatives, and Service Workers COLLEGE Source: See page 25 16 Many Women Woifeers Are U n d e r u t i l i z e d i n R e l a t i o n t o T h e i r Educational Achievement (Chart l ) The educational backgrounds of a great many women are not "being f u l l y u t i l i z e d i n t h e i r johs. A s t a r t l i n g 7 percent of employed vcmen who had ccmpleted 5 o r more years of college were woifcLng as service workers ( i n c l u d i n g p r i v a t e household), operatives, workeM, o r c l e r i c a l workers i n March 1969* sales Nearly o n e - f i f t h of employed women w i t h k years o f c o l l e g e were woiklng i n these occupations, as were some two-thirds o f those who had completed 1 t o 3 years o f c o l l e g e . 17 CHART J.-ALMOST 3 OUT OF 10 TEENAGE GIRLS OF MINORITY RACES ARE UNEMPLOYED (Unemployment Rates of Girls and Boys 16 to 19 Years of Age, by Race, 1954-69 PERCENT A / 35 30 T J, /1 li •f 20 ^ ^ 10 f ^ / If // 15 \ \ l i 25 // / # / /— V f GirlS"M nority Race' A \ A )oys--Minori y Races ! \ A White Bo ys \ White Gi / 0 1954 1 1956 Source: See page 25 1958 1960 1962 18 1964 1966 1969 Almost 3 Out of 10 Teenage G i r l s o f M i n o r i t y Races Are Unemployed (Chart j ) Unemployment among teenagers ( l 6 t o 19 years of age) i s most severe among g i r l s o f minority races, vhose unemployment rate of 27-7 percent i n 1969 was considerably higher than i t had been i n 1955 (19-2 percent). Next most disadvantaged are boys of minority races, whose unemployment r a t e was 21#3 percent i n 1969. I n contrast, the unemployment rates f o r white g i r l s and white boys i n I 9 6 9 were 11.5 and 10#1 percent, r e s p e c t i v e l y . 19 CHART K.-UNEI\/!PLOYMENT AMONG ADULTS IS MOST SEVERE FOR WOMEN OF MINORITY RACES ;Unemployment Rates of Women and Men 20 Years of Age and Over, by Race, 1954-69) PERCENT 15 1954 1956 Source: See page 25 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1969 Unemployment Among Adults Is Most Severe f o r Women of M i n o r i t y Races (Chart K) Among adults 20 years of age and over, unemployment i e most severe f o r women o f minority r a c e s — 5 . 8 percent i n 1969* The comparable r a t e s f o r men of minority races, white women, and white men were and 1.9 percent, respectively^ H i s t o r i c a l l y , unemployment among adults has been highest f o r men of minority races, but since 1963 i t has been most severe f o r women of minority races. 21 CHART L-INCIDENCE OF POVERTY IS HIGH IN FAMILIES HEADED BY A WOMAN WORKER (Percent of Families Living in Poverty in 1968 Whose Head Worked During Year, by Sex and Race) FAMILIES HEADED BY A WOMAN WORKER White Families 12,386,000] Families-Minority Races (850,000) FAMILIES HEADED BY A MAN White Families (36,322,000) Families-Minority Races (3,245,000) Source: See page 25 WORKER 22 Incidence of Poverty^ I s High In Families Headed by a Woman Worker (Chart L) Many f a m i l i e s headed by a woman are poor even though the woman works. Among f a m i l i e s headed by a woman who worked i n I968, percent of those of minority races and 16 percent of the white l i v e d i n poverty. I n contrast, among f a m i l i e s headed by a man who worked i n 1968, only I6 percent of those of minority races and k percent of the white were poor# *The poverty l e v e l i s based on the Bureau of the Census d e f i n i t i o n of poverty, adjusted annually i n accordance with changes i n the Department of Labor's Consmer P r i c e Index. Currently c l a s s i f i e d as poor are those nonfarm households where t o t a l money income i s l e s s than $ 1 , 7 ^ f o r an unrelated i n d i v i d u a l , $2,262 f o r a couple, and $3^553 f o r a f a m i l y of f o u r . 23 CHART SOURCES Chart A. U.S. Departanent o f Labor, Bureau of Labor S t a t i s t i c s : "Marital and Family C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of Workers, March 1969." Special Labor Force Report No. 120. Chart B . U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census: Population Reports, P - 6 0 , No. 6 6 . Current Chart C. U.S. Department of Ccmmerce, Bureau o f the Census: Population Reports, P - 6 0 , Nos. 30, 33, 35, 37, 39, 51, 53, 6 0 , and 6 6 . Current Chart D. U.S. Depaiianent of Labor, Bureau of Labor S t a t i s t i c s : Special Labor Force Report No. 120; U.S. Department of Ccamaerce, Bureau of the Census: Current Population Reports, P - 6 0 , No. 6 6 . Chart E . U.S. Department of Labor, Mai^ower Administration: "Manpower Report of the President and a Report on Manpower Requirements, Resources, U t i l i z a t i o n , and T r a i n i n g . " A p r i l 1967 and March 197O; Bureau of Labor S t a t i s t i c s : Monthly Labor Review, August 19'«-7- Chart F. N a t i o n a l Education A s s o c i a t i o n ; U.S. Depaartment of Health, Education, and Welfare, O f f i c e of Education; National Science Foundation; and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Occupational Outlook Handbook." Chart G. E n d i c o t t , Frank S. "Trends i n Employment of College and U n i v e r s i t y Graduates i n Business and I n d u s t i y . " Northwestern U n i v e r s i t y . 1970 • Chart Same as chart E . Chart U.S. Department o f Labor, Bureau o f Labor S t a t i s t i c s : l i s h e d data. Chart J . U.S. Departanent o f Labor, Manpower Administration: "Manpower Report o f the President: A Report on Manpower Requirements, Resources, U t i l i z a t i o n , and T r a i n i n g . " March 1970• Chart K. Same as chart J . Chart L . U.S. Department o f Conmierce, Bureau of the Census: Population Reports, P - 6 0 , Nos. 66 and 6 8 . 25 Ui:5)ub- Current GPO : 1971 O - 413-102