Breaking the vicious circle: The impact of social policy on household and labor market gender relations

This dissertation examines the association between social policy regarding women's employment---public childcare, parental leave, affirmative action, and the absence of discriminatory labor market policy---and marriage, the division of household labor, and mothers' employment. Because persistent gender inequality in the labor market is one of the main causes of women's weaker positions in the household, how the state approaches the problem has significant consequences in overall gender relations. Using the 2002 International Social Survey Program, I examine whether these social policies affect marriage and couples' division of labor.; The first component of this dissertation tests the impact of social policy on the association between women's economic resources and the division of household labor. I find that generous public childcare strengthens the effects of women's economic resources on a more egalitarian division of housework, while a longer parental leave policy weakens the effects. I also find that affirmative action and the absence of discriminatory policies have contradicting effects on the division of household labor. These findings suggest that social policy is an important factor affecting the intra-household negotiation.; The next chapter explores the relationship between social policy and women's attitudes toward marriage. The increase in women's employment and economic resources is seen as one of the causes of the decline in marriage rates. This chapter, however, finds that women with greater economic resources do not necessarily view marriage negatively, but the association is embedded in social contexts. The effects of women's economic resources may be affected by women's opportunity in the labor market as well as the incompatibility between their career and family responsibilities.; The last portion of this dissertation examines the association between social policy and mothers' labor market participation. I find that the availability of pubic childcare increases the odd of mothers' employment. By contrast, a longer parental leave, affirmative action, and the absence of discriminatory policies are associated with lower likelihood of mothers' labor market participation. The ways that social policies support women's employment have significant effects on women's employment continuity when the demand for family labor is high.