Female Labor Supply: Why Is the United States Falling Behind?

Francine Blau and Lawrence Kahn

American Economic Review, 2013, vol. 103, issue 3, 251-56

Abstract: In 1990, the US had the sixth highest female labor participation rate among 22 OECD countries. By 2010 its rank had fallen to seventeenth. We find that the expansion of "family-friendly" policies, including parental leave and part-time work entitlements in other OECD countries, explains 29 percent of the decrease in US women's labor force participation relative to these other countries. However, these policies also appear to encourage part-time work and employment in lower level positions: US women are more likely than women in other countries to have full time jobs and to work as managers or professionals.

JEL-codes: J16 J22 J32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.251
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (267)

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