The Macroeconomic Context

This chapter analyses the relationship between employment rates and the level of production of an economy, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and whether this relationship differs depending on whether we are analysing the employment rates of women or those of men. How is the gender employment rate gap linked to the overall economy? Does this relationship change during periods of economic recession? The chapter sheds light on whether business cycles, namely periods of economic boom or recession, have a differential impact on the employment rates of men and women: i.e. are business cycles gender neutral? The analysis shows they are not and goes on to assess whether segregation in the industries where men and women tend to work can explain this result.