Resurvey of Women Graduates—Class of 1957
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COLLEGE WOMEN SEVEN YEARS AFTER GRADUATION Resurvey of Women Graduates—Class of 1957 Bulletin 292 1966 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR W.Willard Wirtz, Secretary WOMEN'S BUREAU Mary Dublin Keyserling, Director Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 - Price 40 cents Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Foreword The high rate of employment among mature women, particu- larly educated women, is one of the most remarkable and sig- nificant facts of modern life. Their interest in a paid job appears to be not a temporary phenomenon. Forecasts indicate that the economic, social, and personal reasons for this development will continue to attract increasingly larger numbers of women into the work force in the coming decade. With the extended work life of mature women have come new concerns relating to their job preparation and retraining, con- tinuing education, dual responsibilities of home and job, and psychological adjustments. In order to gain deeper understand- ing of the needs and interests of college-educated women, the Women's Bureau questioned 7-year graduates concerning their activities and plans, particularly relating to employment and education. When viewed in terms of the full lifespan of educated women, the survey has meaning for numerous groups in society. The findings have important implications for virtually all col- lege women as well as for those concerned with their guidance and counseling. College students need information that contrib- utes to a long-range view of women's life patterns so they can determine how best to prepare for their own probable future. Mature college women can make more assured decisions about their own lives when they know how other women are satisfying their rising aspirations and combining the roles of homemaker, citizen, and worker. The plans expressed by the survey graduates can indicate to educators the growing demand that may be made on their facili- ties by adult women. The graduates' plans also may serve to alert employers and manpower officials to the probable job participa- tion of college women, as well as to stimulate them to seek the maximum utilization of educated womanpower. Above all, the paramount value of the study lies in its challenge to all society to encourage and assist women toward achievement of their full potentiality. MARY DUBLIN KEYSEKLING Director, Women's Bureau Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Acknowledgments Acknowledgment is made to the participating women grad- uates of the June 1957 class and their colleges, universities, and alumnae associations for excellent cooperation in making this followup survey possible. Continuing appreciation is also due the Women's Section of the National Vocational Guidance Associa- tion, who helped to conduct the 1957-58 survey on which the 1964 survey is structured. This study was carried out and reported by Jean A. Wells, Special Assistant to the Director, with the assis- tance of Muriel B. Wool. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Contents Page Table Page Introduction 1 F-7 Undergraduate Major of Grad- Survey Highlights 3 uates, by Highest Degree in 1964 38 Characteristics of Graduates 4 F-8 Postgraduate Education of Continuing Education of Graduates __ 5 June 1957 Graduates, 1957 Employment Status in 1964 7 Through 1964 39 F-9 Field of Study of Graduates Family Status and Employment 9 With Postgraduate Educa- Occupational Patterns 12 tion 39 Graduates' Salaries in 1964 14 F-10 Undergraduate Major of Grad- uates, by Employment Work Histories of Graduates 15 Status in 1964 40 Future Employment Plans 16 F-ll Employment and School Status Future Educational Plans 18 of Graduates, 1964 and 1957- 58 40 Volunteer Activities 19 F-12 Main Reason of Graduates for Conclusions 19 Working, by Marital Status, Appendix 21 1964 41 A. Questionnaire Form 23 F-13 Employment Status of Gradu- B. Counseling and Placement Serv- ates, by Marital and Family ices 27 Status, 1964 42 C. Continuing Education Programs 31 F-14 Husband's Attitude Toward D. Graduate Fellowship, Grant, and Wife's Employment, by Em- Loan Programs 32 ployment and Family Status of Wife, 1964 42 E. Suggested Readings r 35 F. Tables 36 F-l 5 Employment Status of Wife, by Employment Status of Table Husband „ 43 F-l 6 Child Care Arrangements of F-l Coverage of June 1957 Women Working Mothers, 1964 43 College Graduates in 7-Year Followup Survey 36 F-17 Weekly Hours Worked by Em- F-2 Response of June 1957 Women ployed Married Graduates, College Graduates in 7-Year 1964 44 Followup Survey 36 F-18 Married Graduates Performing F-3 Age of June 1957 Graduates in Paid Work at Home, 1964 __ 44 1964 37 F-19 Occupational Distribution of F-4 Marital and Family Status of Employed Graduates 45 Graduates, 1964 and 1957-58 37 F-20 Occupation of Graduates Em- F-5 Residence of June 1957 Gradu- ployed in 1964, by Under- ates, 1964 and 1957-58 37 graduate Major 46 F-6 Comparison of Graduates' Res- F-21 Graduates' Salaries, by Occu- idences in 1964 and 1957 -58 38 pation, 1964 and 1957-58 .„ 48 v Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Contents—Continued Table Page Table Page F-22 Distribution of Average F-27 Employment Plan of Gradu- Annual Salaries of Gradu- ates, by Marital and Family ates, by Occupation, 1964 49 Status, 1964 52 F-23 Average Annual Salary of F-28 Future Plan of Graduates, by Graduates, by Occupation Employment Status, 1964 53 and Region of Employment, F-29 Comparison of Employment 1964 50 Plans Held in 1964 and 1957- F-24 Salary of Graduates, by 58 53 Undergraduate Major, 1964 and 1957-58 51 F-30 Training or Education Plan F-25 Years of Paid Employment of and Interest of Graduates, Graduates, 1957-64 51 by Employment Status, 1964 54 F-26 Main Reason of Graduates for F-31 Major Reason for Interest in Leaving Work Force, by Additional Education, by Marital Status, 1964 52 Employment Status, 1964 __ 54 vi Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis College Women Seven Years After Graduation Resurvey of Women Graduates, Class of 1957 Introduction the home. When and why are more and A longitudinal survey of women at more married women deciding they important stages of their lifespan is want a paid job? What obstacles or one tool for gaining greater insight problems interfere with their efforts or into their needs and interests under desires to work? Are they able to ob- changing personal and economic cir- tain the jobs they want and are quali- cumstances. Conducted in the sixties, fied for? How firm is the attachment such a survey reflects growing interest of college-educated women to the labor in women's response to the new and force, and how significant is their avail- challenging opportunities facing them ability as a skilled labor reserve? Are and in the extent and variety of their adult women seriously interested in ob- participation in today's world. The ur- taining more education or training? gency for obtaining factual knowledge How important are volunteer activities is heightened by the marked rise over in the lives of married women? the past quarter century in the number Answers to some of these questions and percentage of married women1 who are available from a group of women combine home responsibilities and paid college graduates surveyed in 1964. employment. They are largely the same group of In 1940 the number of married wom- June 1957 graduates who participated en workers was just over 4 million. By in a survey made in the winter of 1957- 1965 it had reached 14.7 million and was 58.- That survey was conducted jointly approaching the 18 million level esti- by the Women's Bureau and the Na- mated for 1970. Over this 25-year pe- tional Vocational Guidance Association. riod the percentage of wives who work It involved participation of a scientifi- jumped from 15 to 35 percent. A fur- cally selected sample of 153 women's ther increase is anticipated in the fu- colleges and coeducational universities ture. and of almost 6,000 women graduates. Questions arise about women's grow- Primary focus of the earlier survey ing desire to utilize their abilities and was on the relationship between under- education in the workplace as well as in graduate education and subsequent em- 1 In this report the terms "married women" and "working - First Jobs of College Women—Report on Women Graduates, wives" refer to women with husband present- Class of 1957. Women's Bureau Bull. 268. 1 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ployment of recent women graduates. offices. (See the questionnaire form in Attention was given particularly to the appendix A, page 23.) The sample influence of the graduates' marital group represented almost 88,000 wom- status, the extent of their advanced ed- en who were graduated in June 1957 ucation and additional job training, and from colleges and universities granting their attitudes toward future employ- bachelor's degrees and classified as co- ment. The widespread interest stimu- educational or women's colleges. (See lated by the survey findings indicated a table F-l.) The second survey centered need for additional' information cover- on the interrelated influences on college ing later periods of a woman's life. women of their undergraduate educa- The audience for such information is tion, postgraduate specializations, fam- considerable.