The Evolution of the Role of Women in Labor Markets in Developed Economies

Abstract

The role of women in labor markets has been characterized by great changes in the last century, with gender inequalities decreasing in most developed countries. The stereotypes related to women in labor markets have been hard to break within social norms and cultures. Many efforts have been made in recent decades by governments and national and international institutions to decrease and promote women's empowerment and gender equality in labor markets. This chapter has as its main purposes to provide an overview of the evolution of the role of women in labor markets in developed countries and to investigate this evolution based on a set of variables: gender participation rates, education, employment, the gender gap in management, wages and the gender wage gap, and public policies and laws. However, despite the positive evolution of the participation rate of women in labor markets that has been observed in recent decades, gender inequalities still persist.