abstract: 'This article revisits a central tenet of the welfare state paradox, also

  known as the inclusion-equality trade-off. Using large-scale survey data

  for 31 European countries and the United States, collected over a recent

  15-year period, the article re-investigates the relationship between

  female labour force participation and gender segregation. Emphasising

  the transitional role played by the monetisation of domestic tasks, the

  study identifies a `gender equality hurdle'' that countries with the

  highest levels of female labour force participation have already passed.

  The results show that occupational gender segregation is currently lower

  in countries with high female labour force participation, regardless of

  public sector size. However, the findings also indicate that high

  relative levels of public spending on health, education and care are

  particularly conducive to desegregation. Hence, rather than being

  paradoxical, more equality in participation begets more equality in the

  labour market, as well as in gendered tasks in society overall.'
affiliation: 'Reisel, L (Corresponding Author), Inst Social Res, POB 3233, N-0208
  Oslo, Norway.

  Barth, Erling; Reisel, Liza; Ostbakken, Kjersti Misje, Inst Social Res, Oslo, Norway.'
author: Barth, Erling and Reisel, Liza and Ostbakken, Kjersti Misje
author-email: Liza.reisel@socialresearch.no
author_list:
- family: Barth
  given: Erling
- family: Reisel
  given: Liza
- family: Ostbakken
  given: Kjersti Misje
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/09500170231155293
earlyaccessdate: MAR 2023
eissn: 1469-8722
files: []
issn: 0950-0170
journal: WORK EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIETY
keywords: 'gender segregation; labour force participation; public sector; unpaid

  work; welfare state paradox'
keywords-plus: 'WOMENS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES; GENDER; INEQUALITY; COUNTRIES;

  SEGREGATION; POLICIES; WAGES'
language: English
month: 2023 MAR 18
number-of-cited-references: '46'
orcid-numbers: Reisel, Liza/0000-0003-0488-7182
papis_id: e99ec8d65b6f84536d081db644b93f99
ref: Barth2023equalityhurdle
times-cited: '0'
title: 'The Equality Hurdle: Resolving the Welfare State Paradox'
type: Article; Early Access
unique-id: WOS:000949383200001
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '2'
web-of-science-categories: Economics; Industrial Relations \& Labor; Sociology
year: '2023'