Apparel Jobs to Careers

Following the US findings of Goldin (2006), the transition from jobs to careers is associated with higher rates of upper-secondary graduation, which is highly associated with greater family wealth. The latter is an important driver of career development because it reduces the need for young adults to enter the labor market to support their families before completing secondary education. Goldin also found an increasing share of married women in the US workforce, indicating not only that women are staying in the labor market longer but also that dual income households are increasing.

Goldin’s description of the US experience spans 100 years, roughly four to five generations. Pulling these pieces together provides an intergenerational pathway of how apparel employment contributes to female career development. In this model, we follow the case of a lower-middle-income country with an apparel industry. After primary or perhaps lower-secondary education, a daughter will likely leave school to work on the farm or assist with household activities. In fact, the few jobs that exist in such a rural area would require only low levels of education and tend to be filled by men. We can summarize an example of this process as follows (figure 1.4):

FIGURE 1.4 Model of an Intergenerational Female Pathway from Apparel Jobs to Careers

Careers

Education Generation 1 Generation 2 Generation 3

Dual income household and tertiary schools enable the daughter to pursue a career.

Dual income household and nearby schools enable the daughter to complete upper secondary education and work in mid-skill service or production industries. Single woman moves to urban area to work in apparel factory; after marriage, she stays in the labor force.

Jobs Agricultural workers

Source: World Bank. Dual income household

Family and national income Increasing family wealth after years of dual family income enables higher education levels and greater national income and domestic demand for professional services.