The Outlook for Women's Employment and Labor Force Participation

Stefania Albanesi

No 31916, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Employment and participation rates for US prime age women rose steadily during the second half of the 20th century. In the last 30 years, however, those rates stagnated, even as employment and participation rates for women in other industrialized countries continued to rise. I discuss the role of changes in the earnings structure and persistent institutional barriers, such as limited investment in family policies, that may be holding back employment among American women today. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced employment more for women than for men and raised the barriers to female participation due to the increase in childcare responsibilities during this period. Yet, the diffusion of remote and hybrid work arrangements in its aftermath may be beneficial for women's participation in the long run, even if both men's and women's post-pandemic employment growth so far are strongly associated with access to remote work options.

JEL-codes: E20 E6 H2 H31 H4 H52 J16 J21 J22 J30 J31 J33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-gen, nep-his and nep-lma
Note: EFG LS
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