Advancement toward gender equality at work has slowed since the 1990s for three major reasons: people’s attitudes stopped becoming more gender egalitarian, occupations stopped gender integrating, and the gender wage gap began decreasing at slower rates. Sociologist Paula England has called this phenomenon an “uneven and stalled” gender revolution, and there have been dozens of studies showing how the progress in gender equality experienced during and immediately after the feminist movement of the 1970s has not been sustained through the 1990s and 2000s.
What the Data Says About Women in Management Between 1980 and 2010
The industries with the most female managers have the biggest pay gaps.
February 23, 2018, Updated February 23, 2018
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Summary.
What does women’s progress (or lack thereof) in management positions look like over time? Data on full-time managers from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey for the years 1980 and 2010 shows that, while women’s representation in management has increased, things get a little more complicated when you analyze gender segregation within occupations and gender wage gaps across them. While there is progressive change in the share of female managers, this is coupled with backward tendencies in the other two measures. In other words: Women have gained only in traditionally feminized, lower-paying fields.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
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