RECESSION AND RECOVERY IN SCOTLAND: THE IMPACT ON WOMEN’S LABOR MARKET PARTICIPATION BEYOND THE HEADLINE STATISTICS
RECESSION AND RECOVERY IN SCOTLAND: THE IMPACT ON WOMEN’S LABOR MARKET PARTICIPATION BEYOND THE HEADLINE STATISTICS

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the impact of the great recession and subsequent economic recovery on the position of women within the labor market in Scotland. In common with other developed economies, Scotland experienced the most serious financial crisis since 1929 and the longest and deepest recession since the early 1930s. Despite this, the economic data would suggest that women’s position in the labor market has improved significantly over recent years as the economy began to recover as there are now a record number of women in employment. However, using secondary literature and official labor market figures, this article argues that the data only tells part of the story since a lot of these jobs could be described as precarious, involving atypical contracts of employment. That is the job does not involve a full-time contract of employment with a single employer for an indefinite period. The article concludes that the increase in women’s participation in the formal labor market has not resulted in a significant improvement in gender equality nor has it led to a redistribution of unpaid work between women and men. pp. 123–136

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