EXPLAINING WOMENS EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS - ORIENTATIONS TO WORK REVISITED

Explanations of the persisting differences in the structure of men's a nd women's employment have long been debated in the social sciences. S ociological explanations have tended to stress the continuing signific ance of structural constraints on women's employment opportunities, wh ich persist despite the removal of formal barriers. Neoclassical econo mists, in contrast, have emphasized the significance of individual cho ice, an argument which has been recently endorsed by Hakim who suggest s that patterns of occupational segregation reflect the outcome of the choices made by different 'types' of women. In this paper, a previous debate relating to the explanatory utility of men's 'orientations to work' is used to argue that employment structures are the outcome of b oth choice and constraint, and that this is the case for women, as wel l as men. The argument is illustrated with evidence from cross-nationa lly comparative biographical interviews carried out in five countries.