Examining the relationship between contemporary job typologies and dimensions of health at the intersection of race and gender

The job quality gap in the United States continues to widen, with a higher proportion of women and minorities in low-quality jobs. Given that job characteristics tend to cluster, a typological approach may provide new insights into the work-health relationship. Using Latent Class Analysis, I leverage data from Wave V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and the Occupational Information Network to identify 1) typologies of job quality both in the full sample and at the intersection race-and-gender and 2) the relationship between typologies and two measures of health: risky health behaviors and self-rated health (SRH). In the full sample I identify six job quality classes, including two blue-collar and pink-collar classes. Stratification by race-and-gender reveals additional variation (e.g., blue-collar classes only amongst men). The relationship between job quality classes and health also varies at this intersection: women's job classes had a stronger relationship with both health outcomes than men's, and job class appeared to have a stronger relationship with health behaviors among white men vs. non-white men.