A Welfare State Paradox: State Interventions and Women’s Employment Opportunities in 22 Countries

This study explores the role played by the welfare state in affecting women’s labor force participation and occupational achievement. Using data from 22 industrialized countries, the authors examine the consequences of state interventions for both women’s employ-ment patterns and gender inequality in occupational attainment. The findings reveal a twofold effect: developed welfare states fa-cilitate women’s access into the labor force but not into powerful and desirable positions. Specifically, nations characterized by pro-gressive and developed welfare policies and by a large public service sector tend to have high levels of female labor force participation, along with a high concentration of women in female-typed occu-pations and low female representation in managerial occupations. The findings provide insights into the social mechanisms underlying the relations between welfare states ’ benefits to working mothers and women’s participation and achievements in the labor market. In recent decades, an increasing number of researchers have begun study-ing the role played by the state in affecting women’s economic activities and labor market positions. The growing research on this topic points to the role of the state as legislator and implementer of social and family services, as well as to the role of the welfare state as an employer. These two bodies of literature operate under the premise that the welfare state, whether as a legislator or as an employer, strongly affects women’s par-ticipation rates and economic opportunities. More specifically, researchers