Customer Reviews

Economics of Women, Men, and Work (5th Edition)

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This book can be read at many levels -- used for a course or read as needed. You can answer questions like: How is unfair discrimination measured? Why do jobs that employ women pay less than those that employ men even if the requirements are similar. Go beyond romantic love to answer questions about whether marriage makes sense. Does welfare make peole work less? These two academics represent mainstream, what is called "institutional labor econmics." Anyone interested in the labor market, gender equity, international comparisons on how women are doing will find this book accessible. You do not have to have formal education in economics.

This book is an overview of how gender and race play into neo-classical economic theory. The authors discuss both macro- and micro-economic models, and how differences in gender and race can be explained using the models. Topics covered include: gender roles and economic development (in the US), division of labor within the family, allocation of time between the household and the labor market, consequences of women's employment for the family, differences in occupations and earnings, joblessness, and sex differences in other countries. The discussion is confined primarily to the US economy, although the theoretical aspects should be applicable elsewhere, and there is a brief section at the end of the book examining a few economic aspects of gender in developing countries, the U.S.S.R, and Sweden. Although the text generally focuses on gender differences, racial differences are also discussed with almost every topic. For the most part, the book examines only the economics of married heterosexual women, and women who are single or partners in same-sex unions fall outside the scope of the discussion. More in-depth explorations of theoretical issues are provided in appendices which follow several of the chapters. Each chapter includes a brief list of suggested readings. End material consists of an author index and a subject index.

The authors strongly advocate for women engaging in the labor market rather than restricting their work to household activities. They argue that this will likely maximize household income both in the short run and the long term, and provide a much better chance of financial viability for a woman and her children in case her marriage dissolves through divorce or widowhood. They also point out national policies, such as limited subsidies for childcare, that tend to make working in the labor market less attractive for American women. They point out that the families of women who take part in the labor market do not suffer adversely, and that the benefits for the family outweigh the costs.

Rather than simply reporting the facts about gender differences relating to economics, the authors seek to explain motivations and behaviors through economic theory. The book is filled with charts of supply-and-demand-type "indifference curves", designed to show how a typical person feels about participating in the labor market, and at what point he or she will join or leave the market according to possible financial returns. These charts are used both to explain labor market statistics, and to argue the authors' point that women should participate in the labor market. I found the explanatory approach interesting in its attempts to provide a theoretical basis for observed gender differences. However, I'm not entirely convinced that the assumptions that the theory is based on are correct. For example, the authors assume that couples will strive to maximize their income, but is this the real goal that couples are working towards? What about couples who seek to maximize their satisfaction in their family relationships, or their children's development, or those whose financial goal is only to earn "enough" and not to spend a single superfluous minute in the labor market? And what about those who participate in the labor market solely for the joy of it, and not for the financial returns? The possibility that some individuals might have different goals that would affect their participation in the labor market would probably complicate the models found here so much as to make them unworkable. The models must be made simple in order to work, but since the real world is more complex, it's not clear how relevant the simple models are for the real world. In general, the authors tend to overlook or downplay cultural factors that may have stronger effects on economic behavior than the theoretical economic factors that they discuss. Nevertheless, the book provides an interesting starting point for analyzing gender differences in economic behavior, and it also provides an excellent overview of research on women's labor market participation in the US through the 1980s.

Said it was going to be here between Feb. 1st and Feb. 24th, I received it January 30th Great service, good quality book.

I received an international version of the textbook even though we are in the US. A little strange, but my teacher is from overseas, and she says the material is the same, just the costs for US textbooks is much higher.

Economics has never been my best subject, but this book explains concepts in a way that anyone can understand. There are a few charts and diagrams that are tough to understand, but overall the book easily illustrates how different the male and female market experiences are.

The chapters are a decent size: some range from 15-20 pages and some others are around the 40 page range (but the material is interesting, so it's not too bad!)

Overall, this is a great text for anyone taking an economics course.

Seller sent book very promptly and was in perfect condition. Looked like it was just off the press! Very happy with buy and will buy from seller again!

Exactly as described, smooth/easy transaction, exactly as described, fast shipping, would do business with again!