Feminization of the Labor Force

The rapid influx of women into the paid labor force has dramatically altered the North American and European economies in the postwar period. This edited volume compares the feminization of labor in seven industrialized countries--the U.S., Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden--and examines the status of working women under a variety of governmental policies, economic systems, and labor conditions. The contributors compare the unemployment rates, job status, and wages of women and men in each country and consider such issues as women's growing participation in trade unions, the position of minority women, and the opportunities and limitations of more decentralized and highly mechanized economies. What emerges is a new image of a diversified labor force which includes women and a persuasive argument that government policymakers must take into account women's full contribution to the economy.