Publisher's Synopsis
The book begins with a study of the supply side of female labour (development of activity rates according to age, family situation and levels of educational attainment). Supply does not generate its own demand on the labour market and even if women's employment has increased, it is still concentrated in some sectors of activity, and often it does not have the same quality as men's employment (women are overrepresented in atypical employment such as part-time, temporary and flexible-hour working). The authors examine to what extent directives and national legislation are being implemented. It also looks at unemployment ? with a section devoted to the very recent unemployment in the five new Länder of Germany. Finally it evaluates women's participation in general unemployment policies and the effect of measures taken towards equal opportunities.