Feminization of the Clergy in America: Occupational and Organizational Perspectives

Front Cover
Oxford University Press, 1997 M04 24 - 304 pages
Feminization is said to occur when women enter any given occupation in substantial numbers, and ostensibly leads to such dynamics as sex-segregation, reduced opportunities for men, and depressed wages and diminished prestige for the occupation as a whole. Spanning more than 70 years, Paula Nesbitt's study of feminization concentrates on the Episcopal Church and the Unitarian Universalist Association, utilizing both statistical results and interviews to compare occupational patterns prior and subsequent to the large influx of women clergy. Among her findings, the author discovers that a decline in men's opportunities is evident before the 1970s, preceding the great influx of women over the last two decades. She also finds that increases in the number of women ordained reduced occupational prospects for other women, but enhanced those for men, thus contradicting the popular myth that women in the workplace are responsible for occupational decline.
 

Contents

Introduction
3
Tradition or Transformation Womens Struggle over Religious Authority and Leadership
9
Clergy in Two Religious Organizations
29
Ordination and Entry Jobs Critical Criteria
41
The Second Job Key to the Career Path
57
Clergy Careers over Time A 60Year Portrait
73
Decline and Fall of the Young Male Cleric
90
Feminization and Backlash
107
Clergy Feminization Controlled Labor or Liberationist Change?
161
Clergy Job Titles Aggregated by Job Level
178
Demographic Variables
186
Mean average Career Trajectory
190
Notes
191
Bibliography
245
Index
269
Copyright

Structural Change in the Ministry
135

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