Social institutions that have been around for thousands of years generally change slowly, when they change at all. But that's not the way things have been playing out with marriage and family since the middle of the 20th Century. Some scholars argue that in the past five decades, the basic architecture of these age-old institutions has changed as…

Obesity prevalence has doubled among adults and overweight has tripled among children since 1980. This article discusses behavioral approaches to the obesity epidemic, focusing on recent environmental changes, the resulting behaviors, and possible solutions. Over the last 4 decades, time spent in sedentary activities, the consumption of fast food,…

Examines major decisions in the United States, South Africa, and the European Court of Justice related to affirmative action in the workplace. Suggests explanations for differences among the conclusions reached and argues that more rigorous reasoning might enable courts to reach just and realistic decisions. (JOW)

This report addresses two central questions raised by the rapidly changing economic role of American women during the 20th century. First, why have the reported wages of women remained constant at approximately 59 percent of men's wages, in spite of the enormous increase in the numbers of women who work and who presumably have been acquiring…

Women comprised 43% of the United States labor force in 1980, up from 29% in 1950. The surge in women's employment is linked to more delayed marriage, divorce, separation, women's increased education, lower fertility, rapid growth in clerical and service jobs, inflation, and changed attitudes toward "women's place." Employment has risen…

This study examines whether there are differences in men's and women's use of computers and the Internet in the United States and Japan and how any such gender gaps have changed over time. The authors focus on these two countries because information technology is widely used in both, but there are substantial differences in institutions and social…

The rise of the service sector is a major trend common to all western, industrialized countries. Employment in the service sector has increased in 1960-1986 in all 10 countries participating in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Human Resources project (Japan, Belgium, France,…

This databook presents 100 tables of statistics on the characteristics of working women in the United States and their changing socioeconomic status, especially during the 1970s. Most of these statistics are from the Current Population Survey (a household sample survey conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Bureau of the…

Findings of a study are reported that applied two career pattern systems for women to historical data collected in 1967 on a national sample of 4,996 black and white women ages 30-34. Information was provided on (1) the proportion of women who can be classified into each career pattern in the system(s), and (2) relationships of career development…

This book contains 14 original research chapters on various aspects of the employee benefits systems of Canada and the United States. Following an introduction by William Alpert and Stephen Woodbury and an overview chapter, "Does the Composition of Pay Matter?" (Sherwin Rosen), Part 1 of the book consists of three chapters that treat the…

This report focuses on economic, social, and legal development affecting women's employment in the United States during the first half of the United Nations Decade for Women. The first section reports on the economic roles of women in the U.S. as their participation in the labor force reached historically high levels during the last half of the…

This handbook on women workers, revised from the 1975 edition, provides current data related to worklife experiences of women and their economic and legal status, especially during the last half of the 1970s. In addition, historical data provide a perspective on trends in the labor force, experiences of women, and the effects of legislation on…