| Summary: | The past half century or so has witnessed an enormous upheaval in British society, as exemplified by changes in culture, aspirations and economic fortunes. This dissertation will elucidate upon a number of the economic aspects which have been at the heart of moulding the economic environment that we live in today, with the specific emphasis of the analysis being placed upon the labour market and its efficient and flexible functioning. The practical means adopted for this investigation will be decomposition analysis and three broad areas relating to gender, ethnicity and labour market institutions will be examined. Various decomposition techniques will be brought to bear upon at least one of these aspects to provide a contemporary insight into the operation of the UK labour market. Uniquely for current UK research in the area, the work upon public sector pay determination and trade union influence over wage levels is conducted along the entire length of the earnings distribution. Such a procedure is found to have an important bearing upon any conclusions that may otherwise have be drawn from a more limited investigation. An examination of the current labour market position of women and their access to economic resources reveals some interesting trends. Whilst it is found that women have experienced an improvement in their fortunes relative to men in recent times, there is still evidence that they are not treated on a par with their male counterparts. Similar conclusions are also reached from an investigation into the economic fortunes of individuals from the country's ethnic minorities vis-à-vis the white majority. Thus, in spite of a whole host of anti-discrimination legislation enacted by successive governments from as far back as the 1960s, the unfair treatment of female and ethnic minority workers remains a very real feature of British employment practices.
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