ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that a deeper understanding of social developments in the Danish welfare state over the past decade requires that a distinction be drawn between indicators of employment and working conditions and other indicators of the level of living. In turning to the Danish findings, it should be pointed out that the most notable improvements were in the life domains of housing and the environment around the dwellings. Increasing labor-market participation, rising membership in trade unions, prolonged working hours, higher unemployment, and worsening work environments add up to a trend not restricted to the new generations of women. Women are primarily used as the basic labor force in the public sector. The foregoing analysis in no way denies that the female factor is crucial to explaining improvements in the level of living in Denmark. The influence of education on the proportion of women with a pessimistic view deserves notice.
