Algérie. L'emploi féminin en transition

Algeria. Female Employment in TransitionA first series of studies I carried out in the 1980s revealed the structure and the evolution of female activity in Algeria observed during decade 60-80, from initial conditions that described the colonial situation and the status of women in Algerian society. It showed that, beyond the exceptionally low rate of female activity (included comparatively with the other countries in the region), this employment was essentially urban, wage-earning, relatively qualified, with the State as main employer. I explained these features as the result of a combination of factors, such as the capital intensive model of development, the impact of oil incomes on the algerian economy, the planned economy and the role of the state in creating employment, rural exodus and the decline of agriculture, the low rate of female schooling.. However, the then available data and studies as well as the short span of the period treated did not allow me to go further in the analysis of what determined female activity and employment.Today, after a gap of at least 20 years, I examine the issue in the light of the changes that marked the years 1980-2000, in particular the economic new deal (economic reforms, foreign trade liberalisation, new labour market institutions), demographic transition, but also the social and cultural transformations which affect female employment patterns of behaviour.