THE GROWTH IN FULL-TIME WORK AMONG SWEDISH WOMEN IN THE 1980S

Using panel data from the Swedish Labor Force Surveys. this article an alyzes the shift from part-time to full-time work among Swedish women in the 1980s. This change occurred among all groups of women. Two main sources of the shift were found. First, since 1983 more women have in creased their hours from part time to full time than have reduced them . Second, non-employed women have become more inclined to enter full-t ime rather than part-time work. Expanded public childcare facilities a re likely to have stimulated the rise in hours worked, especially amon g mothers of young school children. The prolonging of the parental lea ve period is found to have contributed slightly to the growth in full- time work, while changes in the age-structure had no impact. To accoun t for the shift among all women, I point to the tax reform carried out in 1983 and the subsequent years in combination with a high level of labor demand. Marginal tax rates for full-time workers were reduced an d those for part-time workers raised, while average taxes were raised slightly.