Women, employment, and part-time work: A comparative study of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia

This dissertation compares women's Labor supply--both employment rates and rates of full-time work--in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, in 1986-87. The research is based on microdata from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) and on country-specific sources which describe national policies.;Initial findings indicated that across these countries: (1) employment rates vary moderately, while rates of full-time work vary dramatically, with women in the North American countries reporting higher rates of employment and of full-time work; (2) men's employment rates and hours worked vary little; and (3) inter-country variation in women's work patterns appears to be primarily supply-driven.;A comparative micro-level analysis revealed a qualitative pattern of cross-national similarity in the effects of individual-level variables on women's labor supply. Everywhere, both measures of labor supply are associated: (1) negatively with the number of children and with the presence of young children; (2) positively with being married; (3) negatively with other family income; and (4) positively with education. Parenting effects are less important for single mothers; and, for married mothers, are stronger in the U.K. and Australia. Overall cross-national differences are attributable to differences in country-specific parameters combined with limited differences in composition; decomposition results vary by country pairs.;A macro-level analysis suggests that women's labor supply is affected by: (1) policies which provide support for working mothers, including maternity leave and pay, child care for preschool children, and school schedules; (2) income transfers for single women; (3) features of income taxation; and (4) the level of protections for part-time workers. A history of state-sponsored demand for part-time work contributes to the exceptionally high rates of part-time work reported by women in the U.K.