3,/f6-,*- **/« Current Population Reports Special Studies Series P-23, No. 83 Census Bureau Conference on Issues in Federal StatisticalNeeds Relating to Women ' 50TA LIBRARIES u.s. depi .nt d- ; Research Papers Based On the 1978 Conference With Agency Responses U.S. Department of Commerce BUREAU OF THE CENSUS Current P opulation Reports Special Studies Series P-23, No. 83 ‘ C ensus Bureau ' C onference on I I ssues in Federal ‘ S tatistical Needs = R elating to Women Research P apers Based On the 1978 Conference With Agency Responses Barbara 8 . Reagan, Editor Issued December 1979 . 00“ o F coy Q Y W .afl'fi A ' ‘m 96: # 0 41-55 0‘ ' U.S. D epartment of Commerce Luther H. Hodges, Jr., Under Secretary Courtenay M . Slater, Chief Economist BUREAU O F THE CENSUS Vincent P. Barabba, Director BUREAUF O THE CENSUS Vincent P. Barabba, Director Daniel B. Levine, Deputy Director George E. Hall, Associate Director for Demographic Fields POPULATION D IVISION Meyer Zitter, Chief ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publication o f this report was coordinated by Karen M. Mills, Statistician, Population Division. Editorial review and preparation of the report for printing were supervised by C. Maureen Padgett, Publications Services Division. Libraryf o Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Census Bureau Conference on Issues in Federal Statistical Needs Relating to Women. (Current p opulation reports: Special studies: Series P-23;no. 83) 1. U nited States—Statistical services—Congresses. 2. Women—Statistical services— Congresses. I. Reagan, Barbara Benton, date. II. Census Bureau Conference on Issues in Federal Statistical Needs Relating to Women, Bethesda, Md., 1978. III. Series: United States. Bureau of the Census. Current population reports: Special studies: Series P-23, no. 83. HA203.A218 n o. 83 [HA37.U55] 312’ .0973 s [001.4 ’22] 79-14556 For s ale by the Superintendent of Documents, US. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 20402. Postage stamps not acceptable; currency submitted at sender’s risk. Remittances from foreign countries must be by international money order or by a draft on a US. bank. Current Population Reports are sold in two subscription packages: Series P-20, P-23, P-27, and P-60 are available for $40.00 per year ($10 additional for foreign mailing); Series P-25, P-26, and P-28 are available for $70.00 per year ($17.50 additional for foreign mailing). The single-copy price of this report is $4.75. PREFACE With t he approach of the 1980 Census of Population and Housing, there have been increasing interest in and concern with the data needs relating to the status of women. It is imperative that reliable and pertinent information be available for making sound legislative decisions, for use in eliminating discrimination barriers, and for studying institutional changes. These data needs and concepts extend across all surveys and analyses done by agencies and organizations in both the public and private sectors. It w as felt appropriate in light of these objectives that the Bureau of the Census sponsor a conference on Issues in Federal Statistical Needs Relating to Women. The conference was held April 27-28, 1978, in Bethesda, Md. In addition to discussions of the papers presented, the conference permitted an exchange of ideas among those with extensive experience and interest in the field. This v olume contains the conference papers, revised to reflect the authors’ responses to comments and discussion by participants of the conference. In addition, it contains responses from Federal statistical agencies to recommendations and issues raised at the conference. We are indebted to the authors and conference participants for the high quality of the conference and for the contribution they made to developing the data needs relating to the status of women. The c onference benefited from a Steering Committee composed of— Barbara. B Reagan, Chair Southern Methodist University Elizabeth A bramowitz The White House Barbara. A Bailar Bureau of the Census Nancy S mith Barrett Urban Institute Francine D . Blau University of Illinois Ann. D Casey Bureau of the Census Marie. D Eldridge National Center for Education Statistics Joseph. L Gastwirth George Washington University Shirley K allek Bureau of the Census Daniel. B Levine Bureau of the Census Mary. A Marshall Virginia State Legislature Charlotte F . Muller City University of New York .Janet L Norwood Bureau of Labor Statistics Mollie O rshansky Social Security Administration Harriet. B Presser University of Maryland Carol R aykowski National Association of Women Business Owners Patricia S chroeder U.S. House of Representatives Eleanor. C Smeal National Organization for Women Phyllis. A Wallace Massachusetts Institute of Technology Particular t hanks to Barbara Reagan, who provided the technical coordination and planning for the conference, and who was the technical editor for this volume. To all who participated in the conference and others who assisted in the project, the Bureau of the Census is extremely grateful. Shirley K allek Associate Director for Economic Fields Bureau of the Census iii CONTENTS Introduction Changing R oles of Women and Statistical Policy .. Juanita M. Kreps .. ..... 3 Income Income: I ntroduction . .Joseph Gastwirth . .. ..... .. .. .... ......... 9 Data N eeds for Evaluating the Labor Market Status of Women Nancy S mith Barrett .. .. .. ........ .. .............. 10 Comments .. I sabel V. Sawhill .. ... .. ... ... ....... ....... 20 III. Occupation On t he Use of Occupational Statistics .. .Ronald L. Oaxaca ....... .. ...... 25 Comments . M yra H. Strober . ..... .. ...... ... .... 35 Response t o Discussant’s Comments ... Ronald L. Oaxaca . .. ... .. ... '40 IV. Discrimination Data N eeds Relating to Fighting Employment Discrimination Against Women Barbara. R Bergmann ... .. ...... .. .. ........ .. .. ... .. ... 43 Household S tructure Household S tructure: Introduction .. Harriet B. Presser . ... ... .. 51 Household S tructure and Welfare: Comments About Recent Trends and Data N eeds .. Reynolds Farley and Suzanne Bianchi .. .. .. ... .. .. 53 Household S tructure: Necessary Changes in Categorization and Data Collection Harold. W Watts and Felicity Skidmore . .. .. ... ......... ... .. 62 Commentsl . .. W alter R. Allen .. .. .. .... .. .... .. ......... 69 Comments I I ... Joan Aldous . .. ...... .. .... ... ......... .. 72 Postscript . H arold W. Watts and Felicity Skidmore ................. 75 VI. Education Education: I ntroduction ... Marie D. Eldridge . ........ .. ..... ....... 79 Data P ertaining to the Education of Women: A Challenge to the Federal Government ... A lexander W. Astin .. ... ...... .. ......... 80 Comments. Mary G. Powers . ..... .. ... ..... ... .... .. 87 VII. Health Health: I ntroduction ... Francine D. Blau . ..... ........ .. .... 93 Data N eeds Relating to Women’s Health . .. Charlotte Muller . .... .. ... 94 Comments I . .. D avid W. Dunlop and Holly R. Caldwell .... ... .. ..... 106 Comments I I ... Lawrence M. Kahn . .. ... ......... .. .. 111 Response t o Discussants’ Comments . Charlotte Muller ... .. ..... ..... 112 vi CONTENTS VIII. Challenges Challenge I . B arbara A. Mikulski . ................ .. .. .. .. .. 115 Challenge I I .. .Sarah Weddington .. .. ..... .. ... ... ... ... 120 IX. Public P olicy on Statistical Issues Women a nd Numbers: Some Policy Issues .. .David W. Breneman ... .. .. 123 Two S uggestions for Statistical Policy . Robert Parke . .. .. ... .. ... ... 126 Public P olicy on Statistical Issues Relating to Women . Phyllis A. Wallace ... 128 Summary a nd Agency Responses In R etrospect: Summary and Issues .. .Barbara B. Reagan .... ........ ... 133 Response t o the Issues . Bureau of the Census . .... .. ... .... ... 136 Response t o the Issues .. Bureau of Labor Statistics ... .. .. ._ .... .. 140 Response t o the Issues . National Center for Education Statistics . ..... .. 143 Appendix Conference P rogram ... .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. 147 Index .. .. ...... ... .... ... ... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. 1 51 o = ' ‘ I ntroduction * i _ CHANGING R OLES OF WOMEN AND STATISTICAL POLICY Juanita. M Kreps U.S. Department of Commerce The t heme for these remarks is change. This conference is the n omenclatural and categorical anachronisms that obscure about change—about the changing perception of women in or distort our understanding of what is really happening to society, about the need to find measures of the changing roles women in America today. and economic status of women, about the changed role of Recently, s ome small progress has been made. The term the U.S. Department of Commerce (with regard to statistical “head of household” will not appear on the 1980 census policy), and about potential changes throughout the Federal forms. The President’s task force on women business owners Government in the wake of current events. currently is assessing the inadequacy of statistics on women To i ntroduce today’s conference, there is, it seems to me, business entrepreneurs and the obstacles that they face in the no better statement of purpose than the first paragraph of the marketplace. conference paper prepared by Watts and Skidmore—and I This t ask force will soon make recommendations dealing would like to call your attention to that and quote the very with problems that women have _in gaining access to capital first statement. markets, to training and technical assistance, and to Federal They s ay, “The statistical concepts used to describe our procurement. With the incorporation of the