Models of gendered labour market policy

Abstract

In this chapter, it is argued that the role of labour market policies in exacerbating or attenuating the gender gap can only be addressed if the issue of gendering the state-market-family relations is taken into account. In particular, the unequal distribution of care provision within the family helps us understand the specificity of female employment patterns and explains the behaviour of women in the labour market. The over-representation of women in part-time work together with the greater discontinuity of their working careers are a source of dualization. Our analysis of different labour market policy regimes allows us to explore the relationship between such models and gender discrimination.