The Opt-Out Revolution: Recent Trends in Female Labor Supply

Document Type

Book Chapter

Department

Economics (CMC)

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

Using data from the U.S. Census in conjunction with data from the Current Population Survey (1980–2009), I find little support for the opt-out revolution – highly educated women, relative to their less-educated counterparts, are exiting the labor force to care for their families at higher rates today than in earlier time periods – if one focuses solely on the decision to work a positive number of hours irrespective of marital status or race. If one, however, focuses on both the decision to work a positive number of hours and the decision to adjust annual hours of work (conditional on working), I find some evidence of the opt-out revolution, particularly among white college educated married women in male-dominated occupations.

Comments

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Rights Information

© 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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