Growth in the Labor Force Attachment of Married Women: Accounting for Changes in the 1970s

Abstract

The sustained and marked increase in the labor force participation of married women, characterized by some as a subtle revolution, has been widely documented [22]. Increased labor force attachment has been manifested by adult women in all age groups (up to age 65), and the most dramatic increases have been manifested by women in their mid-20s to mid-30s--particularly white married women.' Using data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Work Experience (NLS), this paper examines the growth between the late 1960s and late 1970s in labor force participation and hours worked among white married women aged 30 to 34. Our purpose is to determine to what extent this growth can be attributed to changes in characteristics of women in this age range, and to what extent important behavioral changes have occurred. The data and methods of analysis are described in section II, while empirical estimates of the determinants of married women's work activity are presented in section III. Analysis of the importance of the past decade's changes in these determinants/characteristics in accounting for the observed growth in labor supply is provided in section IV. Concluding observations, along with some speculation concerning the future course of married women's labor force attachment, are in section V.