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Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis

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  • Hélène Périvier

    (OFCE - Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po)

Abstract

This article describes the changes over decades of the female participation to the labor market in the United States. Theses trends are compared to the French and the Swedish cases. In general, gender inequalities have decreased since the 1950's. But in average, gender gaps are larger in the United States than they are in France or in Sweden. Even though, the most educated American women take advantage of more career opportunities than French or Swedish women. The first main conclusion of the paper is that the average decrease of gender inequalities in the USA have been came along with an explosion of social inequalities since the 1980. The second conclusion deals with the fact the decrease in gender inequalities did not concern all women: the less educated women have known almost no significative improvement of their situation, and the inequalities between skilled and unskilled women have dramatically increased.

Suggested Citation

  • Hélène Périvier, 2009. "Les femmes sur le marché du travail aux États-Unis," Post-Print hal-02081114, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02081114
    DOI: 10.3917/reof.108.0049
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-02081114v2
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    Cited by:

    1. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "L’impact de la maternité sur l’activité des femmes aux Etats-Unis," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/9882, Sciences Po.
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    3. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "L'impact de la Maternité sur l'Activité des Femmes aux Etats-Unis," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 51(2/3), pages 221-242.
    4. Hélène Périvier, 2008. "L’impact de la maternité sur l’activité des femmes aux Etats-Unis," Post-Print hal-03461894, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inégalités entre les sexes; Emploi des femmes; Maternité;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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