Occupational Career Attainment of Single Women During Modernization: The Logic of Industrialism Thesis Revisited

Modernization processes are said to have caused major changes in individual social mobility outcomes. Whether the predictions of the logic of industrialism thesis hold for the careers of women is unclear however. This study provides the first systematic account of how regional modernization processes during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries influenced the careers of the female working population. Unlike research focusing on specific occupational groups and localities, this study models and makes predictions relating to the careers of a random sample of the single female labour force nationwide. We use an excellent source for studying women’s careers in different regions and over time. The Historical Sample of The Netherlands provides information about the occupational careers of 1148 single women active on the labour market between 1865 and 1928. To include regional modernization processes, we have collected a set of theoretical indicators, such as communication, transport, and social values, which are measured at the level of municipalities and which may vary yearly. Over historical time, as well as over the course of their careers, the status of women increased. Apart from the emergence of bureaucratic organizations and the expansion of the teaching sector, contextual modernization processes had hardly any influence on women’s status. We conclude that the logic of industrialism thesis only partly captures the effect of societal changes on the career success of women. Further research might focus on the role of the emergence of bureaucratic organizations and restrictive practices for the career success of women during modernization.