Final answer:
In the 1970s, the entry of women into the U.S. labor force resulted in changes to the wage rate, employment, and unemployment. While increasing the workforce, significant wage stagnation may have occurred due to wage stickiness, with an eventual rise in employment but also a possible increase in unemployment. Women often faced employment in low-paying sectors and continued to earn less than men.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the 1970s, the mothers' labor force participation rate saw a significant change, with an increasing number of women entering the U.S. labor force. If wages were assumed to be sticky in a downward direction around 1970, with the demand for labor equal to the supply of labor at the current wage rate, the influx of women in the workforce would likely have influenced the wage rate, employment, and unemployment.
As women's labor force participation increased, if the increase in supply of labor outpaced the growth in demand, it could have resulted in wage stagnation or slower wage growth, increased employment due to the availability of more workers, but also potentially higher unemployment as not all women entering the labor force may have found jobs immediately.
At the beginning of this period, career opportunities for women were often confined to certain fields like teaching, nursing, and clerical positions. Despite earning less than men for equivalent work, women persisted in their labor force participation, and their educational attainment in four-year colleges continued to rise.
This shift in workforce demographics, combined with a loss of factory jobs and the decline of union power, saw many married women entering the workforce, frequently in low-paying service sector jobs, in an effort to supplement family income during economic downturns.