Female and part-time employment within superstore retailing

Abstract

Employment in the distributive trades constitutes the second largest order in the UK Standard Industrial Classification of 1968. In June 1980 employment in the order totalled over 2.7 million workers. At the same time, the retail trades, the largest sub-division of the distributive trades, were employing 1.87 million people in Great Britain. The importance of the retailing sector both as a source of general employment and more specifically as offering opportunities for female labour has been recognised for a long time. Since the mid-1950s there has been a rapid increase in female labour force participation in retailing, and during this same period there also has been a sharp increase in part-time working. This article analyses both trends, focusing on their impact and importance in British retailing and examines the importance of female, part-time labour in the spread of superstore retailing.