THE LABOUR MARKET TRENDS IN ALBANIA: THE WAYS TO INTEGRATE A GENDER PERSPECTIVE INTO WORKPLACES AND LABOUR POLICIES

Year 2012, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 265 - 274, 01.12.2012

İmelda Sejdini

Abstract

Gender differences in the economic activities are well noted in many developing
countries. Marked variations exist in female occupational rates while male labor
force participation rates are high. Most often low female labor force rates indicate
strong cultural stereotypes about gender roles, which keep women out of the labor
force. Efforts to increase female labor market participation rates must take into
account gender gaps and concurrently seek more balance in hours spent on
reproductive labor by men and women.
In general this study reveals the real extent to which women are disadvantaged on
the labor market, using data from sample surveys of Albanian public and private
sector. In the present study, firstly, are examined some theories on the
mechanisms of Gender Differences, like Human Capital approach and
Sociological Approaches. The goal of the empirical analysis is to extract the
determinants of the gender differences to explain to what extent the differentiation
is, for example, related to the gender-specific human capital endowments or to
gender-specific segregation on the labor market. Secondly, are analyzed the ways
to recognize cultural, social and historical factors that influence unemployment
among men and women in policy making. This study proposes some ways to
develop job-creation and retraining schemes that address the disparate needs and
situations of men and women.
In this paper, interesting implications are explored in order to implement some
measures to address discrimination in hiring practices and down-sizing. This
includes adopting necessary legislation, policies and mechanisms for dealing with
complaints, as well as providing information to both job seekers and employers.

Keywords

labor force, discrimination, wage differentials

References

• Becker, G. S. (1993), Human Capital, New York: Columbia University Press.
• Blau, F. D., Ferber, M. A., Winkler, A. E. (2006), The Economics of Women, Men and Work, New Jersey: Pearson.
• Blinder, A. S. (1973), “Wage Discrimination: Reduced Form and Structural Estimates”, The Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 8, No. 4.
• Card, D. (1998), “The Causal Effect of Education on Earnings”. Working Paper No.2, Center for Labor Economics, University of California, Berkeley.
• Ferber, M. (1987), Women and Work, Paid and Unpaid: A Selected, Annotated Bibliography, New York/London: Garland Publishing, Inc.
• Foschi, M. (1996), “Double Standards in the Evaluation of Men and Women”, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 3.
• Holst, E., Ferber, M., Matiaske, W. (2006), “Women in Management, Academia, and Other Professions: Stagnation or Progress?”, Management Revue, Vol. 17, No. 2.
• Mincer, J. (1962), “On-the-Job-Training: Costs, Returns and some Implications”, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 70, No. 5.
• Oaxaca, R. L. (1973), “Male-Female Wage Differentials in Urban Labor Markets”, International Economic Review, Vol. 14, No. 3.
• Polachek, S. W. (1981), “Occupational Self-Selection: A Human Capital Approach to Sex Differences in Occupational Structure”, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 63, No. 1.
• Ridgeway, C. L., Smith-Lovin, L. (1999), “The Gender System and Interaction”, Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 25, pp. 191-216.
• Tam, T. (1997), “Sex Segregation and Occupational Gender Inequality in the United States: Devaluation or Specialized Training?”, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 102, No. 6.
• Tam, T. (2000), “Occupational Wage Inequality and Devaluation: A Cautionary Tale of Measurement Error”, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 105, No. 6.