Employment and Productivity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment and Productivity - Essay Example Barriers to increased female participation include higher taxation rates (60% higher in Spain for women who are second income earners) and the lack of alternative child care options. The article suggests that there are potential advantages for increased female participation besides those already mentioned - such as lowered ratio of retired persons to working persons. Daly argues that women in sophisticated societies where they are not penalised by the tax rate and/or poor alternative child care facilities (such as Sweden) tend to have more children than women who live in societies where this is not the case. Interestingly of the countries surveyed Italy, Spain and Japan have fewer women in work than the others. This may be due to sociological rather than purely economical factors. All three countries have a reputation for putting family above consumerism. Whilst the arguments for increasing GDP make sense there is too little discussion of the social impact of more women going out to work. The truth is that working women tend to do two jobs - both as employees and as partners.