Michigan State University Extension
Home-Based Business - 09159422
10/01/98
abstract.
This study is part of the NE-167 regional research project of home-based workers in nine states including Michigan. This study compares the gender of home-based workers in Michigan to those of the eight other states by years working, percentage working part-time, percentage in seasonal work, and income level.
Findings
Compared to the eight other states, a greater proportion of home-based workers in Michigan were women. (48% in Michigan compared to 44% in the 9 state study)
Michigan women, on average, had worked fewer years in their home based jobs than men (7.2 years vs. 9.3 years). Results were similar in the eight other states.
A greater proportion of Michigan women (67%) than men (39%) worked part-time (less than 35 hours per week). Similar results were found in the eight other states.
Female Michigan home-based workers were less likely than their counterparts in other states to be in seasonal jobs (10% vs. 14%). About one-fifth of men in Michigan and other states were in seasonal jobs.
The home-based income of men was fairly equally distributed among four income levels in Michigan, as well as the eight other states. In contrast, Michigan females were predominately (75%) in the "under $10,000 income" range, as were 80% of the woman in other states.
When occupation was ranked by net income, the four lowest ranked occupations were predominantly "female occupations" in Michigan and the eight other states (clerical, crafts, services, day care: more than 60% of these workers were women). Michigan had no women in the high-pay sales category (versus 32% women in that category in the other states). In the contractors category, in Michigan 18% were women, compared to 4% in the other states. Among professional home-based workers, 50% were females in Michigan compared to 19% in the other states.