Race, Class, and Occupational Mobility: Black and White Women in Service Work in the United States
Author(s)
Power, Marilyn; Rosenberg, Sam
Abstract
Service sector occupations have historically been a major source of employment for black and white women in the United States. These jobs are typically low paid and offer few promotional opportunities, but their easy entry and flexible hours attract women of all types. Figures indicate, however, that black women experience considerably less occupational mobility than white women working in this sector. This study seeks to explain these differences as a function of race, class background, child-bearing, and initial occupational category.
