Gender and Precarious Work in the United States: Evidence from the Contingent Work Supplement 1995-2017

Randy Albelda (), Aimee Bell-Pasht and Charalampos Konstantinidis

No 2019-01, Working Papers from University of Massachusetts Boston, Economics Department

Abstract: A central element of the neoliberal phase of capitalism is the flexibilization of labor and the consequent prevalence of precarious work. Here, we discuss flexibilization, develop a definition and measure of precarious work using the Contingent Work Survey (CWS) supplement to the Current Population Survey, and examine the gender composition of precarious work in the United States. We find that gender and racial hierarchies persist in precarious jobs over the 1995-2017 period. Women — and women with children in particular – are overrepresented in precarious jobs compared to men. Our findings call for a consideration of the impact of the changing nature of work on different groups of workers, and a renewed role for policy to ensure equitable terms of social reproduction.

Keywords: precarious work; gender; flexibilization; contingent work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B54 J21 J40 J82 P16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37 pages
Date: 2019-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme and nep-pke
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mab:wpaper:2019-01

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