The Economics of Women, Men, and Work by Francine Blau, Marianne Ferber, and Anne Winkler - Essay Example

The paper explores a nice book discussing the subject of gender issues in the field of economics. Time has changed and the ratio of the two genders in the field of economics, or more specifically the labor market, has significantly changed. In this book, the gender roles and issues have been covered extensively in both the workplace and the family as one economic unit, shifting roles in this varying economy, the distribution of time to the workplace and the family, and the gender differences in diverse economies.

In this book, the excellent picture of the dispersion of gender in an average family structure and the working culture is manifested. This is one of the most famous and popular books on the subject of socio-economic science, which have been of great help to the study of the scholars as well as educating the general people.

In this paper, we are going to look at three specific chapters, viz. chapters 3, 4, and 5, from the book. These three chapters teach about the family as an economic unit, allocation of time between the labor market and family, and an overview of differences in occupations and the respective earnings.

Chapter 3: Family as an economic unit

In chapter three, the most important subject of discussion was neoclassical economics. Neoclassical economics deals with the theory that economic constraints actually lead to sustained and steady growth, where the ratio of the capital to every micro economical unit is constrained. In this case, we are talking about the family economic unit. Along with that, topics of specialization and exchange have been conferred in detail. The chapter has also shown the economic consequences of marriage along with the various ways of how a family can work to maximize their economic bargaining power. This chapter deals with sociology, psychology, and economics in a household, and provides great depth into the workings of regular life.

Chapter 4: Allocation of time between family and workplace

The fourth chapter, start by discussing the definition of the labor market, types of the labor market, dispositions of any labor market, and the general work culture. It also discussed various issues such as the market time, the non-market, their significances, their advantages and disadvantages, and their effect on household life. Labor working hours trends have been dedicated a full section for this purpose. But the primary focus of this chapter is the surge of women in the labor force. It started during World War II, and since then, the general gender structure in an ordinary workplace has tremendously changed over time – married mothers with older children after the World War, married mothers with younger children in the 1960s-80s, and single and unmarried women in 1990s-2000s. It has taken a huge leap towards liberalization and increased the participation of women in the workforce. Even the employment disparities of the black community are discussed in detail.

Chapter 5: Differences in occupations and the respective earnings

Although the name of the chapter gives an impression that it is focused on the various occupations, and the possibilities of income respectively, the chapter deals with something more than that. It starts with the definition of human capital and then steers off to the gender biases in the field of human capital investment. Whether in the field of education, job training, or occupations, there have always been significant biases against certain genders. This chapter strives to throw light on that aspect of education and occupation. Though it can be said that most part of the chapter has been focused on the plight and helplessness of women, it still does not leave any arguments unanswered. Starting from the psychological, mental, and physical makeup of men and women to the level of experience and productivity, each factor has been sufficiently talked about to come to a logical conclusion. Of course, there is a part enlisting the various occupations and earnings in the end.

Conclusion

To summarize, the Economics of Women, Men, and Work confers about a lot of things in the book, especially the family as an economic unit, the gender differences in the education and occupation, and the evolution of the labor market in those three chapters mentioned above.

Once again, economics is a huge field, and this is just another book trying to explain the mysterious and interesting subject of economics. But needless to say, it does an awesome job in the end.