Major Theories of the Labour Market and Women's Place Within It

Abstract

Within the labour market, female employees are over-represented in particular industries and occupations. They tend to receive lower pay than male workers and tend to occupy lower positions of status and power. Four major theoretical schools that attempt to explain these patterns are critically examined. These are the neo classical economists in the human capital school; dual labour market theorists; labour market segmentation theorists; and feminists who use the term 'reserve army'. It is argued that the sexual division of labour is best understood by seeing the labour market as a structure of power where buyers and sellers of labour come to agreements over wages and work place organisation. Because of the unequal domestic division of labour, gender is a highly significant determinant of bargaining power. So is education. More empirical and historical studies of the state and service sectors need to be undertaken and would undoubtedly shed more light on the distor tions in existing labour market theories.