FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS* CHANGE IN NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN 1976-1979 *The data is from a report issued by the Subcommittee on Employment Practices, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Education and Labor, entitled “Comparison of Employment Trends for Women and Minorities in Forty-Five Selected Federal Agencies 1980." Because the Department of Energy was not created until October 1977, 1978 statistics were included in their 1976 profile. nwpc National Women's Political Caucus 1411 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC. 20005 (202) 347-4456 SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF WOMEN IN MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS The number of women in middle and upper level appointed political positions increased by 17% in the Carter administration over the level in the Ford Administration, according to a recent NWPC Appointments Project study based on Statistics from the Office of Personnel Management. The study examined non-career Schedule C jobs GS 13($32,048 to start) through GS 18(50,112.50 top) appointments in the twelve cabinet departments. The study found (1) an increase of 17% in the number of women in middle and higher levels over 1976 in Schedule C appointments; and (2) an increase of 4% in cabinet and sub-cabinet appointments. Increase of women in Schedule C Appointments Schedule C Appointments are positions of a confidential or policy determining character which are exempted from the Civil Service. They are designed to insure that a newly elected President can bring into his Administration individuals to carry out policies without going through standard Civil Service procedures. If an Administration is committed to the appointment of women, that commitment wil be the first evident in these appointments. The Carter Administration increased the number of women in these middle and upper level jobs by over 17%. There were 691 non-career positions in grades 13 through 18 in 1976 of which 87 were held by women, or 14%. In 1979, the number of these positions rose to 874 including 269 women, or 31%. Cabinet and Sub-Cabinet Positions The other area in non-career positions are the cabinet and sub-cabinet jobs. Essentially, these people set the broad policy for the Federal Government. There has been less improvement at this level than in Schedule C positions. Out of the 520 top policy makers in 1976, 19 were women, or 48. The current Administration increased the number to 44 women out of 531 positions in 1980, or 8%. Significant Difference Between Career and Non-Career The increase of women in the non-career Schedule C jobs is much Page Two Uneven Progress Among the Cabinet Departments Although the average increase by the cabinet departments was 31%, there was a wide disparity among the different departments. HUD had a total of 48 women in their 82 Schedule C jobs, or 59%. This was an increase of 37%. On the other end, the Justice Department had a decrease by 9% when women held only 10 positions out of the 55 middle and upper level jobs. Need for Improved Data It is essential that data on the employment of women in the Federal Government be more readily available. The statistics in this report were very difficult to obtain. After several months of effort, NWPC finally received permission from the Office of Personnel Management for an intern to go over to OPM and count, one by one, the number of women and men at each level. Since the Government has an expensive computor system, this quarterly tabulated report should be easy and inexpensive for the government to do, and should be a requirement. Conclusions The conclusion to be drawn from the NWPC study is clear. There has been significant increases in 1979 over 1976 in the non-career area. However, these women in the non-career service are vulnerable and can be replaced at any time. Thus, more women are needed in both Schedule C jobs and the career service. President-Elect Ronald Reagan expressed his commitment consistently throughout the presidential campaign that he intended to appoint more women to his Administration. NWPC will be monitoring the new Administration's progress in this area as well as working to ensure that this commitment is kept. 76-638 0-81--9 Marilyn Nejelski Appointments' Project Coordinator |