- Technological changes did not have a substantial negative
impact on the number of women in the Clerical area in the past Decade:
- The Clerical area has continued to grow through the
1976-1985 time period. As more and more women entered the workforce, this
sector has become more exclusively female (women represented 75% of clerical
workers in 1975, 79% in 1985).
However, the content of Clerical jobs
may well have changed. As data become. available, the concern that some
Clerical jobs are being "de-skilled" will have to be determined.
- Representation in unions had increased to 35% by 1981 among
women who work full-time but remained at a low 15% (1981) among women who work
part-time.*
- The earnings of women, though marginally closer to those of
men in 1985 than they were in 1975, are still very much lower than the earnings
of men:
- In 1975, women earned 64% of what men earned, when both
worked full time. By 1985, this had increased only to 68%.
- The fact that the wage disparity has narrowed only slightly
is true for women with all levels of education except for those who have a
post-secondary certificate or diploma.
- As of 1980, only university educated women in the 45-54 year
age range earned more than the average male worker.
- Since many more women than men are part-time workers, the
disparity in yearly earnings between women and men is even greater when all
workers are considered. By this calculation, women workers earned 44% of the
yearly earnings of men in 1975 and 55% of men's yearly earnings in 1985.
- The value of part-time work compared to full-time work is
gradually increasing, but is still well below that of full-time work.
- During the 1975-1984 time period, the earnings of women who
work part-time increased relatively more than the earnings of male part-time
workers or the full-time earnings of either men or women.
- The small amount of data available* indicate that few
part-time jobs offer pro-rated benefits.
- The monetary value of traditional "women's" work (relative
to the work traditionally done by men in the same general occupational
category) does not appear to have increased from 1970 to 1980.
- Low family income level is, of course, highly related to
whether the income earner is male or female. However, this effect is
exacerbated by low levels of education.
- The low income level of female-headed families shows no sign
of declining. Half of all female-headed families have incomes in the lowest 20%
of family incomes. However, since there are more female-headed families than
there were at the beginning of the Decade, the dimensions of this problem are
increasing.
* White, J. Women and Part-Time Work (1983). |