Abstract: This chapter assesses the changing position of women in the labour market. Section 7.2 reviews the changing position of women in the labour force. Section 7.3 outlines the legal context of women's work, involving equal pay, equal opportunities, and maternity rights. Section 7.4 looks at the jobs that women do, tracing the trends in activity rates, occupational structure, and gender segregation. Section 7.5 confronts the issue of the gender pay gap, analysing the changing characteristics which women bring to work, such as educational attainment and work experience, and the rewards which these earn in the labour market. Section 7.6, on work and the family, looks at the ways in which women combine employment with domestic responsibilities. Section 7.7 concludes by considering present problems and future prospects for women in the labour market.

Keywords: women, paid work, Britain, labour market, discrimination, family,