Intermittent Employment Among Married Women: A Comparative Study of Buenos Aires and Mexico City

Abstract

This study examines comparatively individual, household and labor market determinants of married women’s intermittent employment in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Mexico City (Mexico). Using panel data from employment surveys and retrospective life histories, I found that intermittent employment (frequent entries into and exits out of the labor force) is very common among married women in the two cities and is not necessarily determined by changes in the life cycle. It is strongly associated with women’s level of education (and consequently their socioeconomic status), the employment stability of husbands, the types of jobs women have access to and with having young children at home. Although the incidence of intermittent employment is considerable high in both cities, it is higher in Mexico City. In Buenos Aires, it is mainly a consequence of the lack of affordable childcare and restricted labor demand, while in Mexico City it is more related to informal labor conditions and to traditional gender relations.