ABSTRACT
Growing numbers of American women continue to make the occupational decision to engage in part-time work. Apparent since the 1950s, this trend perpetuates the existence of a female-dominated part-time labor force. Several factors contribute to this growth. Of primary interest are the social factors that influence the occupational choices available to women in the U.S. Examined here are the social factors that serve, at least in part, to constrain the occupational choices available to women. This is done by considering the interplay of labor-market demand, cultural ideology, and national policy issues that affect women's labor-force decisions.
