Times Are Changing:

Gender and Generation in the Workplace

Ellen Galinsky

Families and Work Institute

March 11, 2009

Report Funded by IBM

Data Collection Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

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Emerging Trends

Trend 1: For the First Time, Young Women

and Young Men Don’t Differ in Their Desire

for Jobs with More Responsibility

Young men’s and women’s desire to have jobs with greater

responsibility in 1992 - 2008

Sources: 1992, 1997, 2002, 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW)

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Trend 2: Today, there is no difference

between young women with and

without children in their desire for

more responsibility at work.

Desire to advance at work of young women with and without

children in 1992-2008

Sources: 1992, 1997, 2002, 2008 NSCW

Among Generation Y Women

(under 29) Who Did Not Want Jobs

with More Responsibility

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• 31% cited concerns about the increased job pressure

that goes along with greater responsibility at work

• 19% said they already have a high-level job with a lot of responsibility

• 15% were concerned about not having enough

flexibility to successfully manage work and personal

or family life in a job with more responsibility

Source: 2008 NSCW

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Women’s Labor Force Participation

Has Increased Substantially and

Significantly in Recent Years

Labor force participation by women and men 18 and older

Background

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

The Current Recession Has Increased

Women’s Prominence in the Labor Force

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From January 2008 to January 2009

• The employment rate for men age 20 and older

increased from 5.2% to 9.1%

• The unemployment rate for women age 20 or older

increased from 4.4% to 6.6%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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It Is Well Known That the Labor Force

Participation by Mothers Has

Increased Substantially and

Significantly in Recent Years, But the

Upward Trend Is Striking

The labor force participation by women with children under 18

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

Women’s Level of Education Has

Increased Relative to Men’s

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• According to the U.S. Department of Education,

women have been earning more bachelor’s degrees

than men since 1982 and more master’s degrees than men since 1981

• In the 2005-2006 academic year, women earned 58%

of all bachelor’s degrees and 60% of all master’s

degrees

• By 2016, women are projected to earn 60% of bachelor’s, 63% of master’s and 54% of doctorate

and professional degrees

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Women in Dual-Earner Couples Are

Contributing More to Family Income

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In 2008, employed women in dual-earner couples

contributed an average of 44% of family income

In 1977, women in dual-earner couples contributed n average of 39% of family income

Sources: 1977 Quality of Employment Survey (QES), 2008 NSCW

Women’s Annual Earnings in Dual

Earner Couples Have Increased

Compared with the Earnings of Their

Spouses/Partners

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• In 2008, just more than one in four (26%) of women

living in dual-earner couples had annual earnings at

least 10 percentage points higher than their spouses/partners compared with 15% in 1997

• In 2008, 60% of men had annual earnings at least 10

percentage points higher than their spouses/partners

compared with 72% of men in 1997

Sources: 1997, 2008 NSCW

Attitudes About Women’s and Men’s

Work and Family Roles Have Changed

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The percentage of all employees of all ages who agree

(strongly or somewhat) that it’s better for all involved if

“the man earns the money and the woman takes care of the home and children” has dropped from 64% in 1977

to 41% in 2008

This is a decline of 23 percentage points

Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

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The Change in Attitude Has Been More

Dramatic Among Men Than Women

“It is better for all involved if the man earns the money and the

woman takes care of the home and children”

Men and women who agree (strongly or somewhat) with this

statement in 1977 and 2008

Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

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A Significant and Substantial Shift in

Attitudes about Gender Roles Has Occurred

for All Generations, But Is Greatest

Among Those in Older Generations Employees of different generations who agree (strongly or

somewhat) with traditional gender roles in 1977 and 2008

Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

Employees in 2008 Are More Likely than

in 1977 to Agree That Employed Women

Can be Good Mothers

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• The percentage of employees who agree (strongly or

somewhat) that “a mother who works outside the

home can have just as good a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work” has

increased from 58% in 1977 to 73% in 2008

• Among men, the percentage agreeing (strongly or

somewhat) with the statement above increased from

49% in 1977 to 67% in 2008—18 percentage points

• Among women, the percentage increased from 71%

in 1977 to 80% in 2008—9 percentage points Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

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Men’s Roles and Behaviors at Home

Are Changing Too Fathers—young fathers under age 29 in particular

—are spending more time (in hours) with children

today than three decades ago

Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

Generation Y Parents Spend Significantly

More Time Per Workday with Their

Children Under 13 than Generation X

Parents with Children Under 13

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• Fathers under 29 today spend an average of 4.1 hours per workday

with their children, up from 2.3 (an increase of 1.8 hours) since

1977

• Fathers ages 29 to 42 today spend almost a full hour less than

younger fathers on average with their children per workday (3.2

versus 4.1 hours) - although this is up from 1.8 (an increase of 1.4

hours) since 1977

• Time spent with children per workday increased by 1 hour for young

mothers (from 4.4 to 5.4) and 0.3 hours (from 3.5 to 3.8) for

mothers 29 to 42 Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

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Men Are Taking More Overall

responsibility for the Care of Their

Children in 2008 than in 1992, According

to Themselves and Their Wives

Who takes most responsibility for child care in 1992 - 2008?

Sources: 1992, 2008 NSCW

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Men Are Taking More Responsibility

for Cooking as Well, According to

Themselves and Their Wives

Who takes most responsibility for cooking in 1992 - 2008?

Sources: 1992, 2008 NSCW

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There Is an Even Bigger Disconnect

Between Husbands and Wives When

It Comes to Cleaning

Who takes the most responsibility for house cleaning in 1992 - 2008?

Sources: 1992, 2008 NSCW

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Converging Work and Family Roles,

Diverging Levels of Work-Life Conflict

for Fathers and Mothers? Percentage of Fathers and Mothers in Dual-Earner Families Reporting

Work-Life Conflict in 1977 - 2008

Sources: 1977 QES, 2008 NSCW

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What Factors Predict Work-Life

Conflict Among Fathers?

Source: 2008 NSCW

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What Factors Predict Work-Life

Conflict Among Mothers?

Source: 2008 NSCW

Times Are Changing:

Gender and Generation in the Workplace

Ellen Galinsky

Families and Work Institute

March 11, 2009

Report Funded by IBM

Data Collection Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation