Equal Opportunity Policy: A Comparative Perspective

We are undergoing a “subtle revolution” (Smith 1979) in the traditional relationship of women to work and family. One indicator of this change is the massive increase in women's economic activity, especially among married women with children. The total labour force of OECD countries increased by around 30 million in the 1950s and 1960s, and by 43 million in the 1970s. In the first two decades women's contribution to the increase was slightly more than half, whereas in the last decade it amounted to 63.8 per cent. In the European OECD countries women's share of labour force change in the 1970s was even higher and amounted to 96.4 per cent (OECD 1984:10, 11).