Deck 8: Gender, Employment, and the Economy

Question 1

Which of the following is true regarding labor force participation from the turn of the century to present?

A) While the percent of male participation increased, female participation decreased.
B) While the percent of male participation decreased, female participation increased.
C) Both male and female participation increased.
D) Both male and female participation remained the same.

Answer 1

Both male and female participation increased.

Question 2

Women's participation in the labor force rose most dramatically

A) during the Depression.
B) after World War II.
C) after 1900.
D) during World War II.

Answer 2

during World War II.

Question 3

The increase of women's participation in the labor force after 1965 was a result of all of the following EXCEPT:

A) government sponsoring of public day-care centers.
B) the decreasing fertility rate.
C) expansion of the service sector.
D) new divorce laws.

Answer 3

government sponsoring of public day-care centers.

Question 4

World War II was important for women's participation in the labor force for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A) It enabled women to hold jobs previously held only by men.
B) Minority women were given new job opportunities.
C) It changed forever the "normal" role of women as wives and mothers.
D) Women were paid wages that were equivalent to those of men.

Question 5

The degree to which men and women are concentrated in occupations in which workers of one sex predominate is known as

A) dissimilarity index.
B) collar segregation.
C) occupational sex segregation.
D) human capital theory.

Question 6

The dissimilarity index

A) compares the characteristics of women's and men's jobs.
B) is the proportion of workers of one sex that would have to change jobs in which members of their sex are under-represented in order for the occupational distribution to be balanced.
C) is the percentage of women who hold men's jobs.
D) is higher in the United States than any other country in the world.
E) both B and D above

Question 7

About ______ percent of the female labor force in the U.S. would have to change jobs in order to equalize their representation across occupations.

A) 17
B) 29
C) 38
D) 46

Question 8

The labor market in the United States is best characterized as

A) equal relative to that of other industrialized countries.
B) professionally-oriented.
C) female dominated.
D) a dual labor market.

Question 9

In highly segregated workplaces, the presence of a few "tokens" often prompts workers from
The dominant group to exaggerate differences between themselves and the tokens. This is referred to as

A) resegregation.
B) appropriation.
C) mentoring.
D) boundary heightening.

Question 10

In her study of men in female-dominated jobs, Christine Williams found that

A) men experience greater negative treatment in these jobs than women do in male-dominated jobs.
B) these men frequently encounter subtle pressure to not seek promotion or upward mobility in the profession.
C) these men receive preferential treatment in hiring and promotion.
D) it is the numerical rarity rather than the social status of a token's group that determines a token's employment experiences.

Question 11

Which of the following is true of the sexual harassment that women experience in the workplace?

A) It rarely occurs.
B) It has been eliminated by Equal Employment laws.
C) It is more pervasive in male-dominated jobs.
D) It happens to one half of female employees in the U.S.

Question 12

The male/female wage gap

A) remained relatively stable between 1960 and 1990.
B) steadily narrowed between 1960 and 1990.
C) is expected to close completely by 2000.
D) exists for every job except female-dominated ones.

Question 13

Today, full-time, year-round female workers earn on average about ______ percent of what male workers do.

A) 54
B) 49
C) 80
D) 87

Question 14

In 2001, African Americans earned about ______ percent of what Whites earned.

A) 50
B) 62
C) 79
D) 82

Question 15

Women and minority workers

A) are more likely than male and White workers to be hired as temporary workers.
B) are less likely than male and White workers to be hired for part-time employment even though they wish to work full-time.
C) tend to have as much likelihood of being hired for prestigious jobs as male and White workers do.
D) tend to work year-round more often than male and White workers do.

Question 16

The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act (PRWRA) was signed into law in

A) 1988.
B) 1992.
C) 1994.
D) 1996.

Question 17

After the passing of the PRWRA, the total time a family can receive assistance is

A) 1 year.
B) 2 years.
C) 5 years.
D) 6 years.

Question 18

The majority of the elderly poor are

A) women.
B) living alone.
C) members of racial/ethnic minority groups.
D) all of the above

Question 19

Which of the following explains why elderly women suffer the effects of poverty more than men do?

A) they live longer, therefore outnumber elderly men.
B) their pension benefits are lower.
C) their lifetime earnings are lower.
D) all of the above

Question 20

The poverty rate of the elderly population has

A) declined significantly since the late 1960s.
B) increased significantly since the late 1960s.
C) remained the same since the late 1960s.
D) increased dramatically since the 1980s.

Question 21

Which of the following is the best explanation for the gender gap in wages?

A) Women are more likely than men to work in jobs that require minimal levels of education.
B) Women work fewer hours than men.
C) Typically men are employed in full-time jobs and women are not.
D) Female-dominated occupations pay less than male-dominated occupations.

Question 22

The theory that women choose to invest less time than men in employment outside the home is known as

A) occupational segregation theory.
B) primary provider theory.
C) human capital theory.
D) comparable worth theory.

Question 23

The more children a woman has the more likely she is to

A) choose not to work outside the home.
B) work in a male-dominated occupation.
C) seek a job with rotating shifts.
D) feel welcome in a nontraditional job.

Question 24

According to __________, women choose jobs that involve fewer skills and time demands than men.

A) feminist theory
B) Executive Order 11246
C) the women's suffrage movement
D) human capital theory

Question 25

With respect to the relationship between education and wages, research shows that

A) a worker's years of schooling directly effects her or his wages, regardless of sex.
B) sex differences in education are unrelated to the gender gap in wages.
C) educational attainment has a significant impact on raising women's wages, but the reverse is true for men.
D) educational attainment has a significant impact on the wages of minority men and women, but is unrelated to the wages of White men and women.

Question 26

Which is an example of "statistical discrimination"?

A) hiring women to be construction workers
B) hiring men to be nurses
C) not hiring a "token" person
D) not hiring women in their child bearing years

Question 27

Title VII

A) forbids discrimination in hiring and benefits.
B) is enforced by the EEOC.
C) was part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
D) all of the above

Question 28

__________ was amended in 1968 to prohibit sex discrimination in addition to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin. and religion.

A) Bradwell v. Illinois
B) Muller v. Oregon
C) Executive Order 11246
D) EEOC v. Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Question 29

Anti-discrimination laws have been largely unsuccessful in improving women's employment status because the

A) laws themselves contain inherent weaknesses.
B) courts hold considerable discretionary power to interpret the laws in various (and often contradictory) ways.
C) organization of work in our society is itself sexist.
D) all of the above

Question 30

"Comparable worth" refers to a policy in which men and women are

A) given equal pay for equal work.
B) hired for the same jobs.
C) paid equally for jobs of similar value.
D) are regarded as colleagues in different departments of their workplaces.

Question 31

The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is

A) men.
B) women.
C) men and women.
D) families with children.

Question 32

_______ are disproportionately represented in the homeless population.

A) African American
B) Hispanic
C) Asian
D) White

Question 33

In 2008 which occupation had the highest concentration of women?

A) mail carrier
B) architect
C) childcare worker
D) dental hygienist

Question 34

All of the following are true about childcare EXCEPT:

A) When families receive child care assistance as they leave welfare, their employment success rate goes up dramatically.
B) 28% of families who did not receive child care assistance within three months of leaving welfare returned to welfare.
C) 19% of those who received childcare assistance returned to welfare.
D) Childcare is not a need for impoverished families.

Question 35

Female-dominated occupations, regardless of educational requirements, pay substantially less than male-dominated occupations.

Question 36

The gender wage gap is the largest between African American men and African American women.

Question 37

The majority of those living in poverty are unemployed.

Question 38

There is evidence that race may be a tougher barrier than sex in the workplace.

Question 39

The courts have ruled that sexual harassment is a form of employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Question 40

Federal laws protect people in the workplace from being sexually harassed by supervisors of the same sex.

Question 41

The Equal Pay Act prohibits sex-segregated employment and advocates the principle of "comparable pay for comparable work."

Question 42

While the economic recession hurts both men and women, men have become unemployed less quickly that women have.

Question 43

The lack of affordable, reliable, and high-quality childcare has led many observers in the United States to question, despite ideological claims to the contrary, whether we are a nation that truly cares about the well-being of our children.

Question 44

Nike pays women fair living wages to work in their international factories.

Question 45

Discuss the effects of the recent economic recession on employment of both men and women.

Question 46

How has the economic recession and the home foreclosure crisis affected the gendered nature of homelessness?

Question 47

What is the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009? How has the Act affected women in the paid work force?

Question 48

Trace the history of women's labor-force participation in the United States. What are some of the specific problems that have confronted women in the workplace?

Question 49

Discuss and give examples of how minority women have been doubly disadvantaged in the workforce. Refer to wage gaps, occupational opportunities and anything else you find to be relevant.

Question 50

What are some of the myths about welfare recipients? Specifically, how does the welfare system reflect sexist and racist stereotypes?

Question 51

Discuss the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act.

Question 52

Explain why elderly women are more likely than elderly men to live in poverty.

Question 53

Explain human capital theory and discuss some of its weaknesses.

Question 54

Your text discusses several remedies for lessening occupational sex segregation. Discuss these and indicate how they might be successful in addressing this problem.

Question 55

Discuss the pros and cons of comparable worth as a solution to the gender gap in wages.

Question 56

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of legislation designed to prevent and remedy sex- and race-based discrimination in the workplace.