Occupational Sex Segregation and Family Formation in the Former East and West Germany

• Published in: Work and occupations Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 155 - 192
• Main Authors: Trappe, Heike, Rosenfeld, Rachel A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2004; Sage; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: East Germany; Families; Families & family life; Family; Family policy; Family structure; Family Work Relationship; Federal Republic of Germany; Gender; Gender differences; Gender segregation; German Democratic Republic; Germany (East); Germany (West); Industrial relations; Influence; Job Change; Occupational Segregation; Occupations; Sociology; Sociology of work; Sociology of work and sociology of organizations; Studies; West Germany; Working Men; Working population. Employment. Women's work; Working Women; Germany DR; Germany FR; East Germany; West Germany; Germany; occupational sex segregation; job shifts; family formation; East Germany; West Germany; Comparison; Employment; Parent; Gender difference; Family Policy; Sexual segregation; Occupational Mobility; Professional career; Family status; Occupational segregation; Family structure
• ISSN: 0730-8884; 1552-8464
• DOI: 10.1177/0730888404263895

This article examines patterns of occupational sex segregation for women and men born in the 1950s and early 1960s in the former East and West Germany prior to unification. Given the nature of family policies, we had expected to find an increase in the gender-typicality of occupations as individuals married and had children especially in the West. Yet, despite high levels of occupational sex segregation and clear evidence of the “holding power” of gender-typical occupations for both countries, we found almost no support for the neoclassical notion that family formation influences the gender type of an occupation. This is consistent with previous U.S.-based research.