Mammy and the Lady Boss: Labor-Force Participation and Occupational Distribution of Black Women and White Women in the United States

The labor force participation of women in the United States has increased in the past 40 years (Blau, et al., 2013). Women have entered the workforce as a result of financial necessity, higher educational attainment, changing... [ view full abstract ]

The labor force participation of women in the United States has increased in the past 40 years (Blau, et al., 2013). Women have entered the workforce as a result of financial necessity, higher educational attainment, changing social views, and more career opportunities. Although this change in the American labor force applies to all women, the circumstances under which white women and black women historically have entered the workforce are different. This research aims to study the differences in labor force participation rates and the occupational distributions of black women and white women, which can contribute to the discussion of racial difference in America and the advancement of all women educationally and professionally. The literature on this subject often studies the labor force participation of middle and upper class white women, or women in general without consideration for race (Blau and Kahn, 2000). Occupational distribution literature studies the differences in labor patterns of black people and white people (Goldsmith, et al., 2006) without the lens of gender. The situations of black women and poor white women are often not represented in the literature. This research contributes by studying the effects of both race and gender in the labor market where the literature has not. The theoretical model for this research is twofold, encapsulating the decision to work and the probability of choosing a given occupation over others. The empirical model for occupational distribution follows a multinomial logit form in order to study the probability that a woman will choose a base occupation over all other occupations holding personal and household characteristics constant. The findings of the research are that women are generally underrepresented in high-paying managerial occupations, and that black women are even less represented in these positions. Furthermore, black women are overrepresented in lower-paying occupations, such as home health aide and customer service representative, as compared to their white counterparts.