Immigrant Women in the U.S. Workforce Who Struggles? Who Succeeds?

by Vernez, Georges

• ISBN13: 9780739100394
• ISBN10: 0739100394
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-08-01
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

This book represents a first effort to systematically describe the experience of immigrant women in the U.S. labor market over the past thirty years. It may come as a surprise that the United States is currently home to more immigrant women than immigrant men. However, until this study was conducted, the attention of analysts and policymakers has focused solely on the labor performance of immigrant men. Georges Vernez's analysis of immigrant women's experience is the first to break this trend, revealing a complex story that resists easy interpretation. Some immigrant women succeed beyond all expectations, while others struggle all their lives and have little to show for it. In examining the myriad factors that contribute to the success and failure of immigrant women in the U.S. workforce, this book provides a profile of their changing origin and characteristics; describes what they do, where they work, and how they fare in the U.S. labor market; and looks at the use they make of public services to support themselves.

Author Biography

Dr. Georges Vernez is nationally recognized for his objective approach to the study of immigration. In 1986, he became the founding director of RAND's Center on Immigration Policy, which he continues to direct. He has also directed RAND's Institute on Education and Training. To his research and analysis, he brings six years' experience implementing and overseeing the delivery of services to immigrants and to other disadvantaged populations.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	v
List of Tables	vii
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(10)
Women Dominate Immigration Flows to the United States	2	(2)
Past Research	4	(3)
Experts Say More Information Is Needed	7	(1)
Purpose and Main Research Questions	8	(1)
Approach	8	(2)
Organization	10	(1)
Notes	10	(1)
Immigration Policy and Female Immigration	11	(18)
Brief History	11	(7)
Changing Origins of Recent Female Immigration	18	(5)
Share of Women in Immigration Flows Varies by Origin and over Time	23	(2)
Conclusions	25	(1)
Notes	26	(3)
Profile of Immigrant Women	29	(20)
A Heterogeneous Population	29	(3)
Changing Profile of Immigrant Women	32	(7)
Profile of Immigrant Women Varies across States	39	(8)
Conclusions	47	(1)
Note	48	(1)
The Changing Economy and the Immigrant Female Labor Force	49	(22)
The Changing National Economy	50	(8)
Growing Importance of Immigrant Women in the Economy	58	(2)
An Educationally Diverse Labor Force	60	(5)
Variations across States	65	(3)
Conclusions	68	(2)
Note	70	(1)
What Immigrant Women Do	71	(14)
Occupational Changes in the Nation's Economy	71	(4)
Changes in Occupations of Immigrant Women	75	(4)
``Division of Labor'' between Native-Born and Immigrant Women	79	(3)
Conclusions	82	(1)
Notes	83	(2)
Where Immigrant Women Work	85	(28)
Immigrant Women Work in All Sectors of the Economy	85	(1)
``Division of Labor'' within Sectors of the Economy	86	(2)
Industrial Niches for Immigrant Women	88	(6)
Window on Specific Industries	94	(15)
Conclusions	109	(3)
Notes	112	(1)
Performance of Immigrant Women in the Labor Market	113	(18)
Trends in Labor-Market Outcomes	114	(2)
Factors Affecting Trends in Labor-Market Outcomes	116	(1)
Differences in Labor-Market Performance among Immigrant Women	117	(9)
Conclusions	126	(3)
Notes	129	(2)
Integration of Immigrant Women	131	(22)
Methodological Note	132	(1)
Economic Progress: Entering the Labor Market	133	(6)
Economic Progress: Earnings	139	(5)
Changes in the Rate of Economic Progress	144	(1)
Comparison with Immigrant Men	145	(2)
Intergenerational Integration of Immigrant Women	147	(3)
Conclusions	150	(2)
Notes	152	(1)
Use of Public Services by Immigrant Women	153	(30)
Changes in Access to Services	153	(2)
Methodological Note	155	(3)
Education of Immigrant Women in the United States	158	(4)
Immigrant Women's Training in the United States	162	(4)
Safety Net Programs	166	(12)
Conclusions and Implications	178	(3)
Notes	181	(2)
Conclusions and Policy Implications	183	(8)
Key Findings	183	(6)
Looking Forward	189	(2)
Appendix: Effects of Immigrant Women's Characteristics on Labor-Market Outcomes	191	(10)
List of Abbreviations	201	(2)
References	203	(8)
Index	211	(10)
About the Author	221