Major Theories of the Labour Market and Women's Place Within It

Abstract

Within the labour market, female employees are over-represented in particular industries and occupations. They tend to receive lower pay than male workers and

Women returners in Newcastle: A comparison of Benwell and South Gosforth

“…From different theoretical perspectives a number of different explanations have been forwarded to "explain" women's continued concentration in lower positions of status and power (O'Donnell, 1984). On the basis of human capital theory, neo-classical economists argue that in accordance with a direct causal relationship between education, productivity and wages, it is a rational decision in most households with a conventional gender division of labour for women to invest less in education than men and to seek jobs which maximise earnings and minimise training (since they are likely to enter and re-enter the labour market during their working lives)-in order to maximise household rates of return.…”

Labour Market Segmentation Theory

“…Women, for example, are not innately suited to secondary sector employment because of their 'low attachment' to the labour force. Certainly, their dual role as domestic labourers and as Downloaded by [Universitaetsbibiothek Bonn] at 01:38 24 March 2015 wage-labourers is reflected in the tendency for women as a group to exhibit high turnover rates, but it is also true that the inherent instability of secondary sector jobs is a determinant of high labour turnover (Pettman, 1975;Barron and Norris, 1976;Kenrick, 1981;O'Donnell, 1984).…”

“…The secondary sector as a whole clearly does not disappear during periods of recession. Similarly, female workers as a group cannot be regarded as constituting a completely 'disposable' segment of the labour market (see Milkman, 1976;Beechey, 1977;Bruegel, 1979;O'Donnell, 1984). It is nevertheless true that the flexibility which exists in the secondary sector, flexibility which is not nearly so readily available in the primary, organized sector of the labour market, acts as an important determinant of the aggregate size and composition of the demand for labour over the business cycle.…”

The Use of Seniority in Labour Selection and Job Allocation

“…Consequently, seniority systems can be seen as perpetuating inequalities of opportunity associated with gender, ethnic origin and socio-economic background. According to various theories of the labour market, entry level and initial job classification depend heavily upon educational qualifications, references (both formal and informal) and general appearance and presentation-all of which are greatly influenced by socio-economic background (O'Donnell 1984). Seniority promotion systems that exclude the possibility for transfer across divisions, wage scales or seniority units ensure that job opportunities are not dependent on ability, application or 'productivity', but on accident of birth.…”