Labor force participation of rural farm, rural nonfarm, and urban women: a panel update

We analyze the paid labor force participation rates and continuity patterns of rural farm, rural nonfarm, and urban women. Specifically, we trace the labor force participation of a panel of approximately 800 women in Nebraska from 1977 to 1985. First, we examine changes in the work status of the cohort of Nebraska women during the farm crisis years. Second, we identify individual factors influencing labor force participation and continuity. A loglinear model isolates differences in participation rates during the 1977, 1981, and 1985 panel years. A discriminant analysis then ascertains the nonlinear relationships in women's work histories. A comparison of continuous, discontinuous, and non-participatory labor force patterns illustrates that rural women, and farm women in particular, entered the wage labor force in disproportionate numbers during the farm crisis years. Increases in participation rates are most evident among married farm women with discontinuous part-time work histories. -from Authors