Job Opportunities of Black and White Working-Class Women

Abstract

Entry employment of black, Puerto Rican and white graduates of the same vocational school and curricula are examined in order to assess how open the employment structure is for young working-class women. The data demonstrate that from the start minority women do not share the occupational success of their white counterparts. Factors affecting their career success are analyzed. First, the school and State Employment Service referral and placement activities restrict rather than expand the labor market opportunities available to them; the reasons are examined. Second, industrial patterns of recruitment are found to be racially discriminatory. Finally, the relationship between market place recruitment and school referral is explored. The findings concerning equality of opportunity among these working-class women are not optimistic.