ETHNIC-DIFFERENCES IN WOMENS EMPLOYMENT

This paper uses the 1 per cent household file from the Samples of Anon ymised Records (SARs) for the 1991 Census and the ONS Longitudinal Stu dy (LS) to explore variations in patterns of employment and occupation al attainment among women from different ethnic groups. The analysis o f the SARs focuses on the impact of lifecycle events on women's employ ment status and economic activity. The presence of a partner is identi fied as having the greatest impact on Pakinstani and Bangladeshi women 's employment, while the presence of a pre-school child is most signif icant for White women's economic activity. White women also have a hig her rate of part-time working than all other ethnic groups. These patt erns are formalised in two models, one for economic activity and a sec ond for full-time/part-time work. The LS is used to investigate the im pact of these employment patterns on women's occupational attainment o ver a ten-year period. The analysis demonstrates that, while minority ethnic women in nonmanual occupations have similar longitudinal occupa tional profiles to White women, those in manual occupations fare worse than their White counterparts, despite the fact that a larger propoti on of minority ethnic women are in full-time employment.