This paper uses theories of labour market segmentation to analyse occupational inequalities based upon gender and life-cycle. It is argued that the labour market forms the arena where negotiation over occupational position takes place but that the bargaining power which men and women bring to the labour market depends not only upon experience and qualifications but also upon the conditions under which labour is supplied. The paper explores the way in which supply conditions, as well as demand factors, are important in segmenting the labour market and the way in which these act to the disadvantage of women during the course of family formation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ashton, D. , Maguire, M. and Garland, V. (1982) Youth in the Labour Market, Research Paper No. 34, Department of Employment .
2.
Althauser, R.P. and Kalleberg, A.L. (1981) `Firms, Occupations and the Structure of Labor Markets: A Conceptual Analysis', in I. Berg (ed.) Sociological Perspectives on Labor Markets, New York: Academic Press .
3.
Beechey, V. and Perkins, T. (1985) `Conceptualising part-time work', in B. Roberts , R. Finnegan and D. Gallie (eds.) New Approaches to Economic Life, Manchester: Manchester University Press .
4.
Barron, R.D. and Norris, G.M. (1976) `Sexual Divisions and the Dual Labour Market', in Barker, D.L. and Allen, S. (eds.) Dependence and Exploitation in Work and Marriage, London: Longman .
5.
Blackburn, R. and Mann, M. (1979) The Working Class in the Labour Market, London: Macmillan .
6.
Brannen, J. (1986) `The Resumption of Employment after Childbirth: a turning point within the life course perspective' . Paper presented to the BSA Annual Conference, Loughborough1986.
7.
Chiplin, B. and Sloane, P.J. (1982) Tackling Discrimination in the Workplace, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
8.
Cockburn, C. (1983) Brothers: Male Dominance and Technological Change, London: Pluto Press .
9.
Collinson, D. and Knights, D. (1985) `Jobs for the Boys: Recruitment into Life Insurance Sales' , EOC Research Bulletin No. 9, 24-44 .
10.
Craig, C. , Rubery, J. , Tarling, R. and Wilkinson, F. (1982) Labour Market Structure, Industrial Organisation and Low Pay, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
11.
Cragg, A. and Dawson, T. (1981) Qualitative Research Among Homeworkers, Research Paper No. 21, Department of Employment .
12.
Crompton, R. (1986) `Women and the “Service” Class', in R. Crompton and M. Mann (eds.) Gender and Stratification, Cambridge: Polity Press , 119-136.
13.
Crompton, R. and Jones, G. (1984) White-collar Proletariat, London: Macmillan .
14.
Crompton, R. and Sanderson, K. (1986) `Credentials and Careers: Some implications of the increase in professional qualifications amongst women' , Sociology, 20, 25-42 .
15.
Curran, M. (1985) Stereotypes and Selection, Equal Opportunities Commission Research Series, London: HMSO .
16.
Dale, A. (1985) The role of theories of labour market segmentation in understanding the position of women in the occupational structure, Occasional Papers in Sociology, No. 4, University of Surrey .
17.
Dale, A. (forthcoming) `Labour Market Structure in the UK: Evidence from Occupational Mobility', Work and Occupations.
18.
Daniel, W.W. (1980) Maternity Rights: The Experience of Women, London: Policy Studies Institute .
19.
Department of Education and Science (1986) Statistical Bulletin 4/86, February.
20.
Dex, S. (1983) Women's Work Histories, Part II, Report to the Department of Employment , unpublished.
21.
Dex, S. (1984) Women's Work Histories: An Analysis of the Women and Employment Survey, Research Paper No. 46, Department of Employment .
22.
Dex, S. (1985) The Sexual Division of Work, Brighton: Wheatsheaf .
23.
Dex, S. and Shaw, L. (1986) British and American Women at Work, Basingstoke: Macmillan .
24.
Doeringer, P.B. and Piore, M.J. (1971) Internal Labour Markets and Manpower Analysis, Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath .
25.
Edwards, R. (1979) Contested Terrain, London: Heinemann .
26.
Elias, P. and Main, B. (1982) Women's Working Lives: evidence from the National Training Survey, Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick .
27.
Equal Opportunities Commission (1986) Men and Women in Britain: A Statistical Profile, London: HMSO .
28.
Evans, J. (1984) `A Good Career for a Woman: Is There a Dual Labour Market in the Teaching Profession?'. Unpublished MSc Dissertation, University of Surrey.
29.
Garnsey, E. (1978) `Women's work and theories of class stratification' , Sociology, 12, 223-243 .
30.
Giddens, A. (1980) The Class Structure of the Advanced Societies, London: Hutchinson University Library .
31.
Gordon, D.M. , Edwards, R. and Reich, M. (1982) Segmented Work, Divided Workers, New York: Cambridge University Press .
32.
Hakim, C. (1979) Occupational Segregation, Research Paper No. 9, Department of Employment .
33.
Hakim, C. (1984) Employers' Use of Outwork, Research Paper No. 44, Department of Employment .
34.
Hakim, C. (1987) `Homeworking in Britain' , Employment Gazette, February, 92-104 .
35.
Heritage, J. (1982) `Feminisation and Unionisation: A Case Study from Banking', University of Warwick , mimeo.
36.
Hirsch, W. , Hutt, R. and Atkinson, J. (1985) Women, Career Breaks and Re-entry, IMS Report No. 105, Institute of Manpower Studies, Brighton .
37.
Jones, G. (1986) Social Stratification in Youth, Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Surrey.
38.
Kreckel, R. (1980) `Unequal Opportunity Structure and Labour Market Segmentation' , Sociology, 14, 525-550 .
39.
Labour Research (1986) `Fast Food-Faster Profits' , 75, 6, 10-13 .
40.
Llewellyn, C. (1981) `Occupational Mobility and the Use of the Comparative Method', in H. Roberts (ed.) Doing Feminist Research, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul .
41.
Lockwood, D. (1958) The Blackcoated Worker: A Study in Class Consciousness, London: Allen and Unwin .
42.
Mallier, A.T. and Rosser, M.J. (1980) `Part-time Workers and the Firm' , International Journal of Manpower, 1, 2-7 .
43.
Martin, J. and Roberts, C. (1984) Women and Employment: A Lifetime Perspective, London: HMSO .
44.
Mincer, J. and Polachek, S. (1974) `Family investment in human capital: earnings of women' , Journal of Political Economy, 82, 576-108 .
45.
New Earnings Survey (1985) London: HMSO .
46.
Nollen, S.D. , Eddy, B.B. and Martin, V.H. (1978) Permanent Part-time Employment: The Manager's Perspective, New York: Praeger .
47.
O'Neill, J. (1985) `Role Differentiation and the Gender Gap in Wage Rates', in L. Larwood , A. Strombers and B. Gutek (eds.) Women and Work, California: Sage , 50-76.
48.
Parkin, F. (1974) The Social Analysis of Class Structure, London: Tavistock .
49.
Parsons, D. (1984) Clerical Labour Markets: Changes and Trends in the UK, Report No. 97, Institute of Manpower Studies, Brighton .
50.
Piore, M.J. (1972) Notes for a Theory of Labour Market Stratification, Working Paper No. 95, Department of Economics, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press .
51.
Polachek, S. (1975) `Discontinuities in labor force participation and its effects on women's market earnings', in C.B. Lloyd (ed.) Sex, Discrimination and the Division of Labour, New York: Columbia University Press .
52.
Rubery, J. , Tarling, R. and Wilkinson, F. (1984) `Labour market segmentation theory: an alternative framework for the analysis of the employment system' , Paper presented to the BSA Annual Conference, Bradford, 1984.
53.
Rubery, J. and Wilkinson, F. (1981) `Outwork and Segmented Labour Markets', in F. Wilkinson (ed.) The Dynamics of Labour Market Segmentation, London: Academic Press .
54.
Siltanen, J. (1986) `Domestic Responsibilities and the Structuring of Employment', in R. Crompton and M. Mann (eds.) Gender and Stratification, Cambridge: Polity Press .
55.
Tivers, J. (1985) Women Attached: The Daily Lives of Women with Young Childen, London: Croom Helm .
56.
Trown, A. and Needham, G. (1980) Reduction in Part-time Teaching: Implications for Schools and Women Teachers, Equal Opportunities Commission .
57.
Weber, M. (1978) Economy and Society, Vol. 2, Berkeley; USA .
58.
Wray, K. (1986) `The Employment Career of the Textile Worker' . Paper presented to the BSA Annual Conference, Loughborough, 1986.
