Enhancing gender equality through transitional labour markets

This article develops the concept of ‘transitional labour markets': legitimised and collectively insured sets of mobility options between paid and unpaid work. Such mobility options could constitute a basis for both a new gender contract and a new concept of full-employment, the latter being based on the flexible target of 30 hours a week, from which employees would constantly deviate over their life course to allow for periods of training, child-care, higher-income phases etc. Of five different types of transitional labour market, this article focuses on the transition between paid and unpaid work and between work and retirement. Greater flexibility in the mobility between various labour market statuses, it is argued, would make a major contribution to overcoming gender inequality.