ABSTRACT

The demand for workers in various occupations is determined chiefly by the occupational employment needs of work organizations. Even the US Census Bureau's voluminous reports present data only for occupational categories rather than for specific occupational titles. An examination of the sex distribution of workers employed in various occupations reveals that a number might be classified as womens work, and others, because of the presence of a very small number of women, may be thought of as men's work. Few women are found in occupations that are hazardous, strenuous, or highly technical. Even though women are legally free to enter many occupations dominated by men, they do not generally do so. The occupations young workers pursue when they first enter the world of work tend to differ in important respects from those held by experienced older workers. Many young workers tend to enter new occupations created by technological change and to avoid occupations where technological obsolescence is evident.