After the war German trade unions were reconstructed along broad industry lines with limited degrees of overlap (mainly in the areas of white collar employment and the public services). While industry‐wide collective bargaining usually takes place at the regional level, wage demands,...

We are undergoing a “subtle revolution” (Smith 1979) in the traditional relationship of women to work and family. One indicator of this change is the massive increase in women's economic activity, especially among married women with children. The total labour force of OECD countries...