SOC 374: Literature Review Activity

Topic

Promoting gender equality in the labor market in the United States and Canada:
comparative analysis

Research Question

How do the United States and Canada differ in their approaches to promoting gender
equality in the labor market?

Literature Review:

Article #1
Bibliographic Info

Beletskaya, M. Y., & Zotova, E. A. (2020). Towards gender equality in the labour markets
of Canada, USA and Russia: an overview of progress in achievement of
international commitments. Population and Economics, 4, 38.

Step 1: Purpose/main idea of the article

The article presents an analysis of the labor market policies toward promoting gender
equality in Canada, the United States, and Russia. The analysis is addressed in four
perspectives that include actions by the national government, measures to enhance
women’s ability to earn satisfactory wages, strategies to lower the proportion of women
within the informal and low-paid jobs, and strategies to guard women in the labor market.

Step 2: Article’s Summary

The article used a systematic review approach to analyze the various actions being
implemented by the three countries; Russia, Canada, and the United States in addressing
the issue of women's inequality within the labor market. The countries were selected based
on their outstanding reduced gender gap levels within the labor market according to the
guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (EOCD).
EOCD had issued a report “Women at work in G20 countries: Progress and policy action”
that outlined the countries' commitment to reducing the gender gap within the labor market
by 25% by 2025. The G20 countries segmented their focus into four perspectives; actions
by the national government, measures to enhance women’s ability to earn satisfactory
wages, strategies to lower the proportion of women within the informal and low-paid jobs,
 and strategies to guard women in the labor market.

The findings of the review indicate that Canada, Russia, and the United States have
remained active in the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights policies among
the G20 countries. This has been majorly promoted by the presence of special bodies with
the broader responsibilities of addressing the position of women in the labor market. These
bodies include the Department for Women and Gender Equality in Canada, the Women’s
Bureau in the United States, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in Russia.

Step 3: Relationship of the article to the research question.

According to the research question, the current study aims to determine how the United
States and Canada differ in their approaches to promoting gender equality in the labor
market. The reviewed article provides the progress of both the United States and Canada in
their approaches to addressing gender equality within the labor market in terms of the G20
countries’ four perspectives; actions by the national government, measures to enhance
women’s ability to earn satisfactory wages, strategies to lower the proportion of women
within the informal and low-paid jobs, and strategies to guard women in the labor market.
Therefore, the progress in the countries’ approaches according to the four perspectives will
form the basis for the comparative analysis.

Summary
The approaches taken by both the United States and Canada in narrowing the gender gap
have been mainly promoted by the high level of women’s participation in the formulation of
gender-oriented policies. The participation has been facilitated by the presence of special
bodies with the broader responsibility of promoting gender equality in the labor market. The
responsible bodies are the Department for Women and Gender Equality in Canada and the
Women’s Bureau in the United States. However, the countries differ in their focus on
different aspects of gender equality. Canada pays great attention to the indigenous women
whereas the United States emphasized the development of apprenticeship systems.

Article #2
Bibliographic Info

Brutger, R., & Guisinger, A. (2021). Labor Market Volatility, Gender, and Trade
Preferences. Journal of Experimental Political Science, 1-14.

Step 1: Purpose/main idea of the article

The article assesses the responsiveness of working women to the threat of trade-related
employment instability in comparison to their male counterparts in the United States and
Canada.

Step 2: Article’s Summary

 The article collected data through a survey based on national samples of approximately
3,000 employees from Canada and the United States. The participants were stratified based
on gender, age, household income, and education level. The study aimed to determine the
effect of trade volatility on employees’ attitudes towards trade and the persistence of the
gender gap. The study hypothesized that women were more vulnerable to the risks of
employment volatility. Results obtained indicated that women face more challenges in the
employment marketplace and more constraints due to non-employment demands making
increasing their susceptibility to trade-induced employment volatility as compared to men.

Step 3: Relationship of the article to the research question.

According to the research question, the current study aims to determine how the United
States and Canada differ in their approaches to promoting gender equality in the labor
market. The article provides a ground for comparison by assessing the susceptibility of the
women to trade-induced employment volatility towards women as compared to men
between the United States and Canada. The conducts the comparison based on the results
collected from the survey among equal sample sizes from both countries. This offers a
reliable base for the comparison of the levels of equality between men and women
employees within the labor market. The equality is indicated by the level of volatility
towards both genders.

Summary
Higher levels of employment volatility towards women as compared to men make women
develop negative attitudes towards the labor market. The level of volatility is even higher in
case the women lack a college degree or are seeking employment within the competitive
industries. The factors determining the level of employment volatility toward women differ
from one country to the other.