In an article for Foreign Affairs, Lane Kenworthy of the UCSD Sociology Department writes about The Real American Jobs Crisis. He explains how in the U.S., the employment rate rose steadily throughout the second half of the 20th century which stood out among affluent democracies and prompted the U.S. to be known as “the great American jobs machine’. However, since the start of the 21st century, the employment rate has decreased. In the article, Kenworthy aims to define the problem behind this issue and claims that better family policies can help.
This article is only part two of a two-part series. Read Part two here, which examines the decline in men’s employment in the U.S. since the late 20th century.