ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters present a way of viewing households and employment, and the gender differentiation in each. We have also described the dramatic changes that have occurred in these arrangements between the 1950s and 1980s. In seeking to explain both stable patterns and change, we have created a conceptual framework that draws selectively from economics, sociology, and demography. This has emphasized individual choice, social structure (defined by the distribution of “slots,” or other socioeconomic aggregates), and the implicit contracts that characterize long-term relationships such as marriage and employment. In this chapter we take a brief look ahead, trying to see what the coming decades will bring in each of these areas.
