State and Women in the Economy

Jean Larson Pyle is Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Lowell.

"The topic, the constraints on labor force participation of women in Ireland, is significant in itself because Ireland departs so startlingly from experiences of women in the countries undergoing similar economic growth. The topic is also central to our overall understanding of the conditions which influence women's paid labor. The author contrasts her analysis with neoclassical economic literature, with conventional Marxist explanations, and also with feminist theories about the means by which women's subordination is perpetuated." — Susan Lehrer, State University of New York at New Paltz

• Figures Tables Preface 1. Women in the Economy, the State and Development: An Overview IntroductionExpectations versus Reality in the Republic of IrelandThe Basic Lesson: Its Importance for the Labor Market LiteratureThe Relevance of the Main Insight for Development LiteratureFurther Implications 2. Economic Development and Women in Ireland, 1961-1981 IntroductionEconomic Development in Ireland, 1961-1981Women's Participation in the Irish Labor Force, 1961-1981, in Comparison to Other Western European OECD Countries and SingaporeConclusions 3. What Went Wrong? Possible Traditional and Feminist Explanations IntroductionAdverse Sectoral Change ExplanationsRelative Wage HypothesisJob Scarcity ArgumentFeminist ApproachConclusions 4. The Role of the State IntroductionThe Contradictory Goals of the StateEmployment PolicyFamily Law and Reproductive Rights LegislationConclusions 5. The Main Lesson of the Irish Case Examined at the Regional Level Introduction: The Lesson of the Irish CaseTesting of the Traditional ApproachesExamination of the Alternative ApproachReexamination of the Irish Explanation in Light of the Regional AnalysisConclusions 6. Lessons for the Women in the Economy Literatures and Implications for the Theory of the State and Feminist Theory IntroductionRelevance for Labor Market and Development LiteraturesImplications for the Theory of the StateImplications for Feminist TheoryThe Social Structure of Patriarchy: An Alternative Feminist ApproachConclusions Appendixes A. The Decomposition AnalysisB. Relative Wage HypothesisC. Components of the Change in Population in Ireland, 1901-1981D. Vote Maximization FunctionE. Other State Policies Notes Selected Bibliography Index