Equality and efficiency in the labor market. Some thoughts on the transformation and the design of the gender contract

None of the three ideal-type models of the welfare state is fully satisfying as a rewarding vision. In countries that approximate the liberal model, the remarkable gains of women with regard to gender equality on the labor market have to be paid for by women & families with low incomes. The cost...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Berliner journal für Soziologie 2004-01, Vol.14 (1), p.51-72
Main Author: Schmid, Gunther
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Conservatism
Discrimination
Equal opportunities
Gender
Ideal Types
Labor Market
Labor Supply
Labour market
Liberalism
Sex equality
Sexual Inequality
Social Democracy
Sociology
Welfare State
Women
Women's employment
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:None of the three ideal-type models of the welfare state is fully satisfying as a rewarding vision. In countries that approximate the liberal model, the remarkable gains of women with regard to gender equality on the labor market have to be paid for by women & families with low incomes. The costs of the conservative model become particularly clear in the resulting lack of flexibility of employment conditions, in the high vertical segregation unfavorable for women, & in the under-utilization of female human capital. The costs of the social democratic model have to be sought primarily in a high horizontal segregation of the labor market. This sobering balance asks for a more fundamental analysis of the institutional conditions of just & efficient labor market organization. As can be shown, the possibilities of competition in the labor market in favor of women are not fully realized. Often, however, conditions for a fair competition in the labor market cannot be created by a strict anti-discrimination policy. Due to the factually one-sided distribution of family duties it is mostly women who cannot meet the condition of elastic supply. To stimulate effective cooperation different rules have to be institutionalized. Apart from competition three further rules of justice are identified: the rules of solidarity, equal opportunities, & egalitarian equality. For all four cases concrete examples for a promising politics of gender equality are developed. 3 Tables, 2 Figures, 53 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0863-1808
DOI:10.1007/BF03204696