The Economics of Women, Men, and Work (4th Edition) (Paperback)

by Francine D. Blau (Author), Marianne A. Ferber (Author), Anne E. Winkler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Totally updated and revised, the fourth edition reflects recent changes in the labor market and in the family. Like previous editions, this text offers the most current summary and synthesis of research and data on gender issues in these areas in a single volume. Here are just a few of the features you can look forward to in the new edition:

• The text highlights recent developments in the labor market: the declining gender pay gap; the effect of changes in welfare policy on single mothers' employment; growing wage inequality; the declining employment prospects of less educated men; and the rise of nonstandard employment arrangements.
• All discussions concerning policy have been thoroughly revised. Updates include expanded discussion of the glass ceiling, affirmative action, and anti-discrimination legislation; policies that affect paid work and families; the 1996 welfare legislation (TANF) and its impact on welfare case loads and economic well-being; child support enforcement; tax polices; child care; and more.
• Discussion questions have been added at the end of each chapter to stimulate further discussion among students and instructors. Answers to the discussion questions, along with the transparency masters for all figures and tables, can found on the instructor's Web site at www.prenhall.com/blau.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

We wrote The Economics of Women, Men, and Work because we saw a need for a text that would acquaint students with the findings of research on women, men, and work in the labor market and the household. We are extremely gratified on the publication of the 4th edition to reflect that this belief was justified, and hope that this expanded and updated new edition will serve as effectively as the first three.

OVERVIEW OF THE TEXT

The book is written at a level that should both utilize and enhance students' knowledge of economic concepts and analysis but do so in terms intelligible to those not versed in advanced theory. Even though we assume a knowledge of introductory economics on the part of the reader, an interested and determined individual wanting to learn more about the economic status of women as compared to men could benefit considerably from the material offered here. The book also draws upon research in the other social sciences. The text, used in its entirety, is primarily intended for courses specifically concerned with the economic status of women. However, this book could be used to good advantage in interdisciplinary women's studies courses, as well as introductory-level courses in economic problems. Selected readings would also make a useful supplement to round out a general labor economics course. In addition, it would also serve as a useful reference work for those not familiar with the rapidly growing body of literature on women, men, and work as well as for practicing economists looking for a single volume on this topic.

SIGNIFICANT FEATURES OF THE 4TH EDITION

The 4th edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the numerous changes in the labor market and in the family that have occurred in recent years. All data and references have been updated to take into account the most recent research on each subject covered. Questions have been added at the end of each chapter to provide for review of major concepts and to stimulate further discussion among students and instructors. The other new features of the 4th edition as well as some of the changes previously incorporated in the 3rd edition are summarized here.

• As in the past, we thoroughly review trends in the labor supply of women and men to the market. In Chapter 4, we summarize these trends and provide some analysis of important recent developments including the large increase in labor force participation of single mothers in the late 1990s.
• Our consideration of the role of labor market discrimination in explaining gender differences in labor market outcomes in Chapter 7 now includes a more detailed discussion of issues surrounding the notion of a "glass ceiling."
• We highlight important recent developments in the labor market and their consequences for women and men. These include the decrease in the gender wage gap, as well as the declining employment prospects of less-educated men; growing wage inequality, the rise of nonstandard employment arrangements such as temporary and on-call workers and consultants, and changes in welfare policy that have moved greater numbers of welfare recipients, largely single mothers, into the labor force. Each chapter has been modified to some extent to reflect these changes as relevant, and Chapter 8, "Recent Development in the Labor Market," and Chapter 10, "Policies Affecting Paid Work and Family," focus specifically on these developments.
• We devote considerable attention to changes within married-couple families as well as to changing family structure and the implications of these shifts for labor market outcomes. Chapter 3, which focuses on nonmarket work, introduces a new discussion of trends in time spent with children, which is of interest, both in terms of its implications for time spent in nonmarket work and its potential implications for children's development. Further, this chapter takes a much closer look at alternatives to the standard economic approach, including the transaction cost approach and bargaining models, as well as an expanded discussion of the radical feminist and Marxist feminist views of decision making in the family.
• In keeping with the times, the discussion in Chapter 9 examines trends in marriage, divorce, and overall fertility, along with trends in births to unmarried mothers, teen births, and cohabitation. The discussion of cohabitation has been further expanded to include gay and lesbian couples. Chapter 9 also devotes considerable attention to the implications of the large increases in the number of dual-earner, married-couple families and single-parent families for children's outcomes.
• All discussions concerning policy have been thoroughly revised. In Chapter 7, we discuss affirmative action and findings regarding the effectiveness of antidiscrimination legislation. Discussions of policies that affect paid work and family have been updated, expanded, and consolidated into a single chapter, Chapter 10. This chapter focuses on three broad policy areas: (1) policies to alleviate poverty, including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and child support enforcement; (2) government tax policies; and (3) policies that should better help workers and their families balance the dual demands of paid work and family responsibilities. Among the changes, the section on welfare has been revised to reflect recent evidence on the effect of the 1996 welfare legislation (TANF) on welfare caseloads and economic well-being. The discussion on child support has been considerably expanded, and now includes more information on the success of child support enforcement, as well as the particular difficulties of this policy for what have been termed "deadbroke" dads. The section on family leave has been expanded to consider recent findings regarding the effect of the 1993 federal family leave legislation and discusses related leave policies. The section on income tax policy now includes a more detailed discussion of how taxes affect women's labor force participation and how the so-called marriage penalty arises, along with a fuller discussion of available policy options.
• Finally, Chapter 11, which examines gender differences from an international perspective, has been completely updated. As in the 3rd edition, after considering differences in women's status across broad regions of the world, it compares the United States with a number of other economically advanced nations, especially Sweden and Japan, with respect to labor force participation, the gender pay gap, occupations, sharing of housework, and demographic trends. This chapter also specifically examines the situation of women in developing countries, highlighting the difficulties they face as well as the progress that they have made, and briefly considers the problems of women living in countries that were formerly part of the Soviet bloc.