This paper examines the extent of and the mechanisms behind the penalty to motherhood in six European countries. Each country provides different levels of support for maternal employment allowing us to determine institutional effects on labour market outcome. While mothers tend to earn less than non-mothers, the penalty to motherhood is…

Mothers receiving money for child support were found to be in the labor force more often than those not awarded such support. Women who received alimony were also more likely to work than those who did not receive such payments. (CT)

Controlling for human capital inputs and unobserved heterogeneity explained 55-57% of the wage gap between mothers and nonmothers. Mothers faced the highest wage penalty at return to work. High school graduates suffered more prolonged, severe losses than women with lower or higher attainment. Their jobs were less likely to offer flexibility needed…

Examination of Australian indices of full- and part-time employment indicates that occupational segregation of women without children, on average younger than women with children, is significantly and persistently higher than for other women. There is slightly less segregation in part-time than in full-time employment, especially for women without…

This chartbook focuses on women's economic activity including labor force trends, occupational and industrial employment patterns, unemployment, and market work of women in a family context. The 15 charts show that women play an important role in the labor market; women's participation has grown dramatically; a smaller proportion of women fill the…

Discusses the possibilities for homeownership by female heads of household, taking into consideration recent demographic trends, income, sex discrimination, mortgage financing, and the continuing surge of housing costs and interest rates. Special federal housing programs are helping only a few women to purchase homes. (CT)

Examines the influence of child-related reductions in past hours worked on current wage rate of married women with children. The study reveals that differences in "intensity" of prior work experience account for half of the sex-related wage gap. (TE)

Trends in the economic status of women in the United States and their implications for society and women themselves are traced in this publication. The report focuses on women in the work force, including occupation and wage gains relative to men; poverty status; economic consequence of changes in trends related to living arrangements, education,…

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau (the Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation) and other federal agencies were used to examine trends in the ways different cohorts of women born between 1906 and 1975 have attempted to balance motherhood, marriage, and employment. The study focused on the following:…

The validity of the notion that welfare receipt is equivalent to "dependency" and work represents "self-sufficiency" was examined in a qualitative study during which 214 recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and 165 low-wage single mothers in 4 U.S. cities were interviewed. The women were contacted…

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…

Data from the 1980 Sophomore Cohort of the High School and Beyond (HS&B) study were used to examine the stability of the first employment experiences of high school diploma, associate's degree, and Bachelor's degree recipients. Approximately 51% of the original HS&B sophomore cohort were included in the study. Data used in the study were…

A national study, including state-by-state breakouts, analyzed Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data to explore the wage gap. Median weekly earnings of men and women and of minorities and nonminorities were analyzed. Gender-based earnings differences and gender wage gaps were large for all women--and especially large for minority…

This book, through a review of the status of working women on bottom and on the top, refutes a set of myths about women, work, and poverty that have shaped welfare reform. Chapter 1 highlights the big changes affecting women in the U.S. economy. Chapter 2 describes who is poor in the United States and examines how poverty has come to be defined.…

During fiscal year 1998, 7 of Ohio's 12 school-to-work regions conducted a needs assessment on equity issues within their regions. The survey instruments were completed by 6,173 students in grades 9-12 (3,316 girls and 2,857 boys). The survey focused on the economics of gender and work, nontraditional careers, and gender and career choices. Only…