moreover because of widespread occupational segregation in the labour market described in detail in chapter economic policies that have distinct effects on particular sectors such as the service sector will affect women and men s employment differently demands on unpaid work may intensify during times of economic stress increasing the burden on women volatility at the macroeconomic level produces outcomes that both reflect and reinforce existing gender dynamics although the outcomes will differ depending on the context when a crisis triggers womens withdrawal from paid employment they return to dependent positions within the household with less autonomy and less access to incomes of their own