Attrition from Male-dominated Occupations

Abstract

Women in male-dominated occupations remain at a considerable risk of attrition. This study examines both the consequences of being an occupational minority and the effect of occupational attributes on women's exit from male-dominated occupations. Drawing on prior theories and empirical studies, I argue that women in high-status occupations are better prepared than women in low-status occupations to overcome obstacles derived from their minority status. Using the Current Population Survey data set and the Occupational Information Network database, this study reveals that a greater proportion of males in an occupation increases the probability of exit from low-status occupations, once we account for relevant individual and occupational attributes. Conversely, women employed in high-status occupations are less likely to leave strongly male-dominated occupations. These findings underscore that women's attrition from male-dominated occupations cannot be adequately explained without considering differences among women at the moment of hiring.

Women’s Attrition from Male-Dominated Workplaces in Norway: The Importance of Numerical Minority Status, Motherhood and Class

“…Other studies have found that overwork in combination with motherhood make women more likely to leave male-dominated occupations (Cha, 2013), a desire for a flexible job is one of the top three reasons for women leaving the engineering field (Fouad et al, 2017) and as the proportion of men increases, women report less co-worker support and less supportive work-family culture (Cook and Minnotte, 2008;Taylor, 2010). Yet, besides the mentioned study by Cha (2013), other studies of motherhood and women's attrition find no such association (Chan, 1999;Glass et al, 2013;Torre, 2014Torre, , 2017.…”

“…Finally, the present study explores whether the importance of numerical minority status and motherhood for women's attrition depends on occupational class. Torre (2017) claims that research on women's attrition has overlooked the intersectionality between class and gender and that working in a male-dominated setting is not likely to have the same consequences for all women. Moreover, a central claim in the 'welfare paradox thesis' is that work-family policies of social-democratic welfare states such as Norway have different implications for women of different classes (Mandel, 2012b).…”

“…Differences in preparations for their chosen occupational field and in parental strategies are possible explanations for why numerical minority status and motherhood's association with attrition could be stronger for lower as opposed to higher occupational classes. Regarding the former, Torre (2017) argues that women in managerial and professional positions will be better equipped to overcome challenges associated with being a numerical minority, such as 'tokenism' (Kanter, 1977), since they are likely to have undertaken a lengthy male-dominated education, assisting the women to learn how to handle gendered issues. In her study, Torre finds support for this: the probability of women's attrition increases with the number of males in the occupation more for low compared to high occupational classes (Torre, 2017).…”

“…Consequently, there has been a growing body of research on women's attrition from male-dominated settings (e.g. Cha, 2013;Torre, 2014Torre, , 2017.…”

“…The first aim is to provide a descriptive account of attrition over a 10-year span. Following previous studies (Cha, 2013;Cook and Minnotte, 2008;Glass et al, 2013;Torre, 2014Torre, , 2017, the second aim is to examine whether attrition can be attributed to degree of numerical minority status and motherhood. Additionally, the study explores whether the relationship between attrition and the degree of male dominance and motherhood varies by occupational class.…”