Amy Burnett Cross

Hi! I’m Mary and I’m on the #EconJobMarket this year.

Extreme heat doesn’t just affect students, it affects the people teaching them.

JMP 🧵:

This project started with a question that wouldn’t let me go: what if the military is the backstop for gender inequality at work? The 1972 gender desegregation of the Army provides an unexpected window into how military policy sends information to civilian labor markets about women’s abilities.

Congratulations to the other honorees — @lukaslehner.bsky.social and Omeed Maghzian. It’s a privilege to be in such strong company.

Upjohn Institute announces 2025 Dissertation Award honorees

I’m excited to share that my dissertation, Military Manpower Policy and Women’s Labor Market Outcomes, received an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Upjohn Institute Dissertation Award.

Announcement: www.upjohn.org/Upjohn-Insti...

@upjohninstitute.bsky.social

Researcher spotlight: Amy Burnett Cross For Women’s History Month, we highlight the work of Amy Cross, a researcher who studies the effects of gender-specific policies in the US military workforce on women’s careers in the civilian labor ma...

For Women's History Month, we highlight economic historian @amyburnettcross.bsky.social

In her award-winning research, Amy studies the effects of gender-specific policies in the US military workforce on women’s careers in the civilian labor market—a highly relevant issue today

#EconSky #WHM

4/4 - To everyone navigating uncertainty: I’m rooting for you.

3/4 - I’m incredibly grateful for the support and conversations that have shaped my journey, and I want to pay that forward. If I can be helpful—whether through sharing job leads, connections, or just catching up—please reach out.

2/4 - At the same time, I know this is a tough job market. Many brilliant colleagues in academia, government, and nonprofits are facing hiring freezes, layoffs, and uncertainty. I see you, and I know how much talent and dedication is being impacted right now.

1/4 - I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining the University of Alaska Anchorage as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Economics this fall! This opportunity allows me to continue researching how military policies shape civilian women’s labor market outcomes.

The economic historian in me is now deeply curious.

Did you open any drawers? I'd love to get a glimpse at a page.

Thanks, by Non-Traditional I mean occupations that were more than 75% men in the early 1970s and were substantively similar to Army occupations that opened to women in 1972.

Thanks @sameyler.bsky.social. Here's the thread on my #JMP

bsky.app/profile/amyb...

🌐 You can find more about my work here: amyburnettcross.com
📩 Contact: amy.cross@student.american.edu
📢 Please share or reach out!
#EconJobMarket #EconSky #LaborEconomics #EconHist #GenderEconomics (11/11)

✅ I’m eager to connect with researchers and policymakers interested in #GenderEconomics, #LaborEconomics, and #EconHist! (10/11)

📢 These findings highlight how Army policy can challenge entrenched gender norms and create pathways for women into male-dominated occupations (9/11)

📚 This paper contributes to two literatures:

1️⃣ Occupational sorting: Army policy can catalyze women's entry into male-dominated fields.

2️⃣ Military mobilization: Peacetime Army policy affects women's labor markets, too! (8/11)

📊 For a one-standard-deviation increase in exposure:

✅ Women’s participation in nontraditional occupations rose by 0.9 percentage points (a 17.3% increase from the pre-treatment mean).

🟢 Significant effects were observed in white-collar occupations. (7/11)

📐 Using a difference-in-differences model, I measure the impact of Army desegregation on women's participation in nontraditional civilian occupations.

📍 I proxy exposure using the share of active-duty service members in metropolitan areas. (6/11)

⚡ The Army's policy change wasn’t driven by shifting social norms but by recruiting shortfalls at the end of the Vietnam War draft.

✅ This exogenous shock provides a natural experiment to study the impact of military gender policies on civilian labor markets. (4/11)

🔍 My #jmp explores a key policy during this period: the 1972 gender desegregation of the Army, which lifted restrictions on women in noncombat military occupations and expanded recruitment efforts toward women. 💼 (3/11)

📉 Women's entry into male-dominated occupations was a primary driver of the decline in the gender wage gap from 1971 to the mid-1990s.

⚠️ However, progress on occupational desegregation and closing the wage gap has stalled since then. (2/11)

🌟 First post on Bluesky! 🌟

I’m on the 2024/2025 #EconJobMarket! 🚨

My job market paper explores how the Army’s 1972 gender desegregation catalyzed women’s entry into male-dominated civilian occupations.

A thread on the findings and contributions 👇(1/11)