Recognising the intersection of gender and occupations when measuring women’s social positions

Abstract

Social stratification position is a key explanatory variable in the social sciences, as is gender. Social stratification position is often measured using individual occupations. However, the occupational structure and the gender structure of society intertwine in numerous complex ways. The interlock of these structures makes the measurement of women’s social positions problematic. This thesis explores approaches to measuring women’s positions which aim to account, at least partially, for this complexity. This thesis begins by providing an overview of the relationship between the gender structure and occupational structure from the 1970s to present, with a focus on the United Kingdom. Then a gendered critique of conventional approaches to the measurement of stratification position in the social sciences is offered. In the remaining part of the thesis, three suggested strategies are tested that might better account for the relationship between gender and occupations; (i) Gender-specific measures, (ii) Household-level approaches, and (iii) Intersectional approaches. A methodology for the creation of gender-specific ‘SEI’ and ‘CAMSIS’ measures using British Household Panel Survey data is described before three analysis chapters are presented that draw on the International Social Survey Programme and British Social Attitudes data. The results suggest that social stratification researchers would benefit from engaging with the ideas of intersectionality, though they should recognise that inequalities are not intersectional in all contexts. A further conclusion is that multilevel models offer a promising analytical approach for intersectional research. The comparison of measures showed varying results, which would have led to some substantial differences in conclusions had only one measure been considered. Thus, a further conclusion is that undertaking a sensitivity analysis is of importance when measuring women’s stratification position and that several approaches to using household and individual level, including gender-specific, measures, should be compared.