Occupational Sex Segregation, Maternity and Job Transitions among Women

Hyunjoo Min, Cornell University

Some studies of occupational sex segregation argue that women choose female-typed occupations because they entail lower costs associated with time out of the labor force due to childbearing. This paper evaluates this proposition by examining the effects of occupational sex-type on job exits and re-entrances, with a special focus on interaction effects between sex-type and maternity. We draw on data from 18 waves of the NLSY, estimating continuous-time event historical models. Preliminary results suggest that women in mixed-sex occupations are least likely to make a job exit around the birth of a child. Women in female-dominated jobs are less likely to leave for a birth, but if they do leave, they are the least likely to return to work.