Why are women still paid less than men? Why does gender segregation exist even within the same general occupation? Given dramatic increases in women's employment and a society that increasingly espouses egalitarian attitudes towards gender, we have a puzzle on our hands.

This seminar addresses these questions by focusing on women’s experiences in paid and unpaid work (e.g., household labor, caregiving) in the United States. We examine a variety of topics including the gender gap in pay, occupational sex segregation, the intersection of paid work and unpaid family work, women in the professions, and the circumstances of poor and near-poor working women. A central theme of the course is the interplay of the gendered division of labor within families and women’s status in the public realm of the labor market.

This is course is organized as a discussion-based seminar with emphasis on reading, lively discussion, writing, and in-class activities.