A study of Knox County female labor force participation and its relationship to residential location and accessibility

The female labor force participation rate has been rapidly increasing over the past 40 years. The phenomenon has caused changes in household composition and society in general. What is the effect of these changes on city structure? Conversely, how does city structure affect labor force participation of women? These questions were explored in this thesis. The compatibility of female labor force participation with the urban environment was measured using relative residential location and accessibility to employment in Knox County, Tennessee.

The analysis was based primarily on census data. First, a 20 year profile of the labor force was examined and projected by occupation to the year 1990. Then, stepwise multiple regression techniques were employed to select models for each of four labor force categories: male, total female, women with children under six, and married women. Locational and accessibility variables were compared to socio-economic variables for each labor force category.

It was found that women's labor force participation is more sensitive to location and accessibility than men's. Two specific indications were found. First, female labor force participation increases with proximity to shopping centers, indicating that single women concentrate in these locations. Second, labor force participation of women with children under six increases with density and a decrease in family size. This indicates that household duties coupled with low density imposes added constraints on these women's labor force participation. Day-care is mostly needed in cities. No evidence was found of changing residential patterns. Because of the imcompatibility of suburban housing with new household formations, it is concluded that there is a lack of comparable city-housing choices.