Job Queues, Gender Queues: Explaining Women's Inroads into Male Occupations (Women In The Political Economy) [Paperback]

Barbara Reskin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 1990 | Series: Women In The Political Economy

Since 1970, women have made widely publicized gains in several customarily male occupations. Many commentators have understood this apparent integration as an important step to sexual equality in the workplace. Barbara F. Reskin and Patricia A. Roos read a different lesson in the changing gender composition of occupations that were traditionally reserved for men. With persuasive evidence, "Job Queues, Gender Queues" offers a controversial interpretation of women's dramatic inroads into several male occupations based on case studies of 'feminizing' male occupation. The authors propose and develop a queuing theory of occupations' sex composition. This theory contends that the labor market comprises a 'gender queue' with employers preferring male to female workers for most jobs. Workers also rank jobs into a 'job queue'. As a result, the highest-ranked workers monopolize the most desirable jobs. Reskin and Roos use this queuing perspective to explain why several male occupations opened their doors to women after 1970. The second part of the book provides evidence for this queuing analysis by presenting case studies of the feminization of specific occupations. These include book editor, pharmacist, public relations specialist, bank manager, systems analyst, insurance adjuster, insurance salesperson, real estate salesperson, bartender, baker, and typesetter/compositor. Barbara Reskin is Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois and Vice President of the American Sociological Association. She has published several books, including "Women's Work", "Men's Work: Sex Segregation on the Job" (co-authored with Heidi Hartmann). Patricia A. Roos is Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University and author of "Gender and Work: A Comparative Analysis of Industrial Societies".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Even in the wake of feminism's ebullient 'second wave,' women routinely and almost universally get a raw deal in the labor market, with women of color getting the rawest deal of all. In Job Queues, Gender Queues, Barbara Reskin and Patricia Roos illustrate this with exemplary clarity."
—Felicia Kombluh, Voice Literary Supplement

From the Publisher

A controversial interpretation of women's dramatic inroads into several male occupations

Sex and Gender Section Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Study of Sex and Gender, American Sociological Association --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (November 8, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877227446
• ISBN-13: 978-0877227441
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference!, December 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Job Queues, Gender Queues: Explaining Women's Inroads into Male Occupations (Women In The Political Economy) (Paperback)

Any female working in a formerly-male profession will find this book of interest. Since it's been written, several more professions have become "feminized" more quickly than has the workforce as a whole. Those of us who are in these professions find that our colleagues argue the same issues over and over without looking to other, similar professions, or to work like this, for information about what is occurring. Although the book may leave you with a bit of a negative attitude, hey, discrimination IS negative! The authors do use this as a call to action, pointing out that what has occurred is not necessarily going to continue, that occupational gender changes are in a state of flux, and that simply understanding what has occurred in the past may help us to change the future.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Heavy textbook reading, October 21, 1999

By 

T. Davis (South Bend, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Job Queues, Gender Queues: Explaining Women's Inroads into Male Occupations (Women In The Political Economy) (Paperback)

This book was assigned for a Gender Inequality at Work class. Nothing much about this book would have gotten me to read it otherwise. Reskin and Ruse certainly can back up their theories regarding women's entry into male-dominated occupations with their extensive data, but they seemed to have a negative attitude about women's capabilities and future potential. One of the most frustrating things about the book was their continual reference, without elaboration, to the "women's liberation movement" of the 1970s as a factor in women's accomplishments. The obscure references to the "women's liberation movement" made it seem like a magical occurance that was without explanation. I would have liked much more anecdotal information.