Chapter 19

Work

According to the United Nations Statistics Division (2010), the number of women participating in the paid labor force around the world from 1990 to 2010 has been a steady 52 %. The number of women employed varies by country or region. For example, women make up about 45 % of the paid workforce in countries of the European Union, while women make up less than 30 % of the paid workforce in Northern Africa and Western Asia. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) (2012) reports that in its member countries, employment rates are 13 % lower for women than for men. Occupations available to women are impacted by their race, class background, immigrant status, and marital status. They are further impacted by the types of jobs deemed acceptable for women to have. In more developed economies, women are primarily employed in the service...