The changes in women’s and men’s work lives since the mid-twentieth century have been
considerable. The best known of such changes include women’s rising labor force participation,
with some leveling off in more recent years; the narrowing of the gender wage gap, again with
periods of leveling; and men’s falling labor force participation, exacerbated in part by the most
recent economic downturn. These changes are true for most societies, although our specific
statements in this paper will refer for the most part to the US experience.