This paper has two objectives: to contrast patterns of female labour market participation in three West European societies and to develop a theoretical approach which can encompass both universal features of gender divisions in the labour market and nationally specific ones.
Empirically, the focus is on the different levels and forms of labour force participation over the female life cycle, particularly on any resultant employment casualization. Consideration is also given to patterns of horizontal and vertical segregation and to pay. The differences between the three countries are explained by positing the existence of nationally specific gender profiles with a differential impact on labour market patterning along gender lines. These profiles are constructed by gender regimes at the level of the state which, in turn, are the result of political struggles and compromises of a variety of political actors. The paper utilizes European statistical data and secondary sources.
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