The science and engineering (S&E) labor force helps to create and advance our scientific and technological knowledge, transform these advances into goods and services, and fuel America's economy, security, and quality of life. This report details several aspects of the U.S. S&E workforce, including growth, demographic makeup, earnings, and…

During the past half-century, there has been a trend toward increasing the minimum age a child must reach before entering school in the United States. States have accomplished this by moving the school-entry cutoff date earlier in the school year. The evidence presented in this paper shows that these law changes increased human capital…

The literature on higher education in the United States has maintained a place for the specific topic of discrimination against women in the American academy. Institutional restrictions, invisible ceilings, hidden hierarchies--all of these have entered into the discussion surrounding both the failure of women to progress through the academic ranks…

After a long decline, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of older men in the United States leveled off in the 1980s, and began to increase in the late 1990s. We examine how changes in Social Security rules affected these trends. We attribute only a small portion of the decline from the 1960s-80s to the increasing generosity of Social…

Unemployed women substantially reduce their reservation wages as the period of their unemployment progresses. Also, recipients of unemployment insurance are shown to ask for wages that are substantially higher than those asked for by other unemployed women. (CT)

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…

Updates a 1976 article explaining the stability of hours of work per week in the U.S. since World War II. It introduces a revised series of the ratio of female to male wages over time. In a reply to this article, Kniesner presents estimates which support his 1976 conclusions. (CT)

Recent developments in equal pay, equal employment opportunities, women's involvement in trade unions, and the impact of women's work on family life and national development are reviewed. (SK)

The average workweek of full-time workers declined by 35 percent between 1900 and 1940, but has not changed significnatly since then, and the secular rigidity of the full-time workweek remains. An expanded model which incorporates the effects of growth in education and in the female wage explains the post-1940 secular trend. (Editor/HD)

In a study of data concerning distribution of earned income among men and women from 1958 to 1977, it appears that the trend toward greater inequality among men continued but slowed in recent years. The more unequal distribution for women remained stable, probably reflecting limited advances. (CT)

This booklet summarizes state labor laws of special interest to women and highlights trends evidenced in the past dozen years. Although focus is on state laws, information is provided on their federal counterparts to the extent needed to clarify the effect of the state enactments. The content covers minimum wage, premium pay for overtime, equal…

An overview is presented of the many developments affecting occupational choices and training needs in the 1980's. The study seeks to develop an understanding of the growth rate through 1985 of 123 selected occupations in nonprofessional fields, examines important characteristics of these occupations such as earnings level, educational attainment,…

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) provides information on achieving equal pay for equal work for women librarians in special libraries. A 1973 SLA study is cited to show pay differences between men and women. Then relevant legislation and executive orders are listed for the United States, along with similar legislation for Canada. Attention…

A major development in the American workforce has been the increased labor force participation of women. In 1970, only about 43 percent of women age 16 and older were in the labor force; by 1999, that figure had risen to 60 percent. From 1999 to 2004, women's labor force participation rate receded slightly to 59.2 percent, still well above the…

To test the economic theory of job search and the rationality of job search behavior by unemployed married women, the importance of reservation wages (or wages requested for employment) was studied for its effect on the duration of unemployment and its relationship to the subsequent rate of pay upon reemployment. Models were established to explain…