Data on women in labor unions in 1988 reveal the following facts: (1) women are becoming an increasingly important part of membership in organized labor, as the total number of workers in unions declines; (2) in 1988, nearly 6 million of the 47.5 million employed women in the United States, or about 13 percent, were members of unions; (3) since…

A recent national survey suggests that women and Blacks receive less on-the-job training and training opportunities in their jobs than White males. This is especially true of young Black men. The factor of low wage does not seem to play a large part in this discrepancy. (CT)

Women have made slow, steady progress in the labor market since 1979, but the wage gap has not narrowed significantly. This briefing paper updates a September 1987 paper based on "Male-Female Differences in Work Experience, Occupations, and Earnings: 1984" (Current Population Reports, Household Economic Studies, Series P-70, No. 10, issued in…

A study used data from the 1998 Current Population Survey to document job growth in the public and private sectors and examine the quality of jobs in terms of wages and benefits. Findings indicated public sector employment declined for both women and men during the period from 1979-98 with a somewhat sharper decline among men. In 1998, median…

Policy options for increasing the earnings of the young welfare recipients were explored by analyzing the incomes of nearly 12,000 young women in Baltimore, Maryland, whose 19th birthday fell between April 1, 1985, and March 31, 1989, and who had at least one spell of welfare dependency between their 19th and 29th birthdays. An analysis of the…

Patterns of employment in U.S. industry today were studied in order to explore factors behind the low income and lagging occupational status of black women workers. The data collected for this group were contrasted with similar data for white women workers. The study found (1) substantial underrepresention in hiring black women at all income…

In trying to determine race and sex differences in earnings, some chapters in this volume examine the hypothesis that earnings differences are caused by skill differences. Findings indicate that skill differences cannot account for much of the earnings differences. Education levels required by various jobs are analyzed and compared to the actual…

According to data from 67% of a sample of 800 employers in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles, skill demands are associated with lower employment of blacks and higher employment of women. Most skill requirements had significant effects on hourly wages, accounting for some of the wage differences between black and white men. (SK)

From 1978-79 incidence of long hours among full-time wage and salary workers dropped for the first time since the 1974-75 recession. Of those who worked long hours, about 43% received premium pay (time and one-half the regular wage for hours worked in excess of forty per week). Employers used overtime hours to cope with disequilibrium phenomena…

The 13 chapters of this book, written by various sociologists, document how race and gender intersect to put African American and Latina women at a disadvantage in the workplace. The articles encompass 30 years of change for women at all levels of the workforce, from those who spend time on the welfare rolls to middle class professionals, and look…

In recent years, female attachment to the labor force has increased dramatically, particularly for women of childbearing age. This trend has reflected demographic factors and also fundamental changes in how women's roles are viewed in our society. It has not, however, affected black and white women equally. (Author/GC)

This book contains 78 of the approximately 100 conference papers presented, in 6 categories: democracy and society, employment and earnings, family and work, poverty and income, health and well being, and miscellaneous, as well as 7 poster session presentations. Representative papers include the following: "Women's Business Ownership: A…

Data from black and white women ages 34-44 (1968-88) showed that differences in characteristics did not explain occupational segregation by race nor the racial wage gap. During the 1980s, the gap was influenced by widening differences in access to occupations and an increase in returns to education. (SK)

Between 1986 and 1996, the number of black women aged 16 and over in the United States increased from 11 million to 13 million. Labor force participation for black women rose during that time from 56.9 percent to 60.4 percent. In 1996 the total labor force population of black women was 7.9 million. Of these, 80 percent worked full time. Black…

This bulletin summarizes some current information on working women into 20 short statements. Some of the highlights are the following: (1) about 58 percent of all women aged 16 and older (58 million) were labor force participants in 1992; (2) labor force participation for women was highest among those in the 35-44 age group---77 percent, with 73…