An analysis of the enormous changes in women’s economic lives around the world, from the family to the labour market. Hoffman and Averett examine topics such as the effect of rising women’s wages and improved labour market opportunities on marriage, the ways in which more reliable contraception has shaped women’s adult lives and careers, and the forces behind the phenomenal rise in women’s labour force activity. This fourth edition includes brand new chapters on gender in economics and race and gender in the USA. It incorporates the latest research findings throughout, many of which are featured in helpful call-out boxes, and illustrated with new graphs and figures. This is invaluable reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of economics, development and women’s studies. The level of economic analysis is suitable for students with basic economics knowledge. New to this Edition: - New chapters on gender in economics and race and gender in economics - Fully updated with new data, policy examples and a new companion website with lecturer resources - Increased pedagogy, with over 30 new boxes

"This text demonstrates for students how economic theory and econometric analysis can be applied to a wide variety of interesting topics around gender and family economics. The choice of topics and the level of treatment are well designed to expose students to exciting analysis and findings while at the same time building their skills with the underlying tools." - Terra McKinnish, University of Colorado, USA

"Hoffman and Averett have produced an outstanding resource for instructors and students of labor economics and the economics of the family. They have given us a canonical treatment of topics that have played central roles in recent economic history and in economic development more broadly, but which are usually omitted from other textbooks." - Ryan D. Edwards, University of California, Berkeley, USA

"This textbook offers a conscientious up-to-date treatment of the economics of the family. It covers a wide range of topic including two excellent chapters on women and families in developing countries and will benefit students from around the world." - Michèle Tertilt, University of Mannheim, Germany

"The COVID-19 pandemic in this new decade has highlighted how vital it is to understand household behaviour and how gender inequality may increase with major shocks affecting labour market settings as well as time allocation and decisions made inside the family. The rigorous analytical approach of this textbook to explain real world trends provides a valuable resource in understanding these challenges." - Sonia Oreffice, University of Exeter, UK

"This exceptional textbook reveals how powerful the tools of economics are. Students will learn how to analyze such issues as marriage, divorce, fertility, and family structure - topics that few people associate with the field of economics. The authors present the main ideas and empirical findings from state-of-the-art research in a way that is not only very clear and accessible, but also highly engaging." - Evelyn Lehrer, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

"This is an excellent book, appropriate for both students of economics and those with a preliminary exposure to the subject of economics. It goes beyond the traditional economics of gender topics such as labor force participation, discrimination and gender wage gap to also cover the economics of marriage, fertility and family. It discusses the intersectionality of race and gender as well as issues relevant to women’s lives at a global level. The authors have expertly incorporated the latest empirical research in each chapter, making it a fantastic reference guide for instructors who are teaching this course for the first time." - Anoshua Chaudhuri, San Francisco State University, USA