Question13 The employment to population ratio have been increasing in most developed economies over the last 30 years. Which one of the following statements is not a proper explanation for that?1) increase in female labour participation;2) technological change;3) increase in inflation rate;4) changes in social norms;5) changes in discrimination. 4 and 5 only 4 2, 3 and 4 2 and 4 only 3 ResetMaximum marks: 1 Flag question undefined单项选择题
A
4 and 5
B
only 4
C
2, 3 and 4
D
2 and 4
E
only 3

Question

Question13 The employment to population ratio have been increasing in most developed economies over the last 30 years. Which one of the following statements is not a proper explanation for that?1) increase in female labour participation;2) technological change;3) increase in inflation rate;4) changes in social norms;5) changes in discrimination. 4 and 5 only 4 2, 3 and 4 2 and 4 only 3 ResetMaximum marks: 1 Flag question undefined单项选择题

A

4 and 5

B

only 4

C

2, 3 and 4

D

2 and 4

E

only 3

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The employment to population ratio has been rising in most developed economies over the last 30 years. Which of the following statements is NOT a proper explanation for that?

Option 1: 4 and 5. This answer claims that the explanations are changes in social norms (4) and changes in discrimination (5). While social norms can influence labor force participation and discrimination can affect who is employed, combining these two as the sole or primary drivers may overlook more direct factors like female labor participation, technology, or macroeconomic conditions. Therefore, this option may be missing other relevant explanations and overemphasizing 4 and 5 as the sole sources.

Option 2: only 4. This asserts that only changing social norms explain the rise. Although social norms can matter (e.g., attitudes toward work and gender roles), evidence typically points to multiple contributing factors, including women entering the workforce in greater numbers and technology affecting job matching and productivity. Relying on only 4 ignores these other plausible drivers, making this explanation incomplete.

Option 3: 2, 3 and 4. Here the proposed drivers are technological change (2), inflation rate (3), and social norms (4). Technological change is a common explanation for productivity and participation shifts; social norms influence participation; but inflation rate is less directly linked to the long-run trend in the employment-to-population ratio, since inflation itself doesn’t consistently push more people into work. This combination is plausible but includes a factor (3) that is not typically considered a proper explanation for the trend, lowering its overall plausibility.

Option 4: 2 and 4. This suggests both technological change (2) and changes in social norms (4) jointly explain the rise. This pairing captures two widely discussed channels—productivity/structure changes from technology and shifts in participation due to norms—making it a reasonably defensible explanation. However, it omits possible contributions from other factors like female labor participation velocity or policy changes; depending on the framing, it could still be considered a proper subset of explanations.

Option 5: only 3. This claims that inflation rate (3) alone explains the rise. A sustained higher or volatile inflation rate is not typically viewed as the sole driver of a long-run increase in the employment-to-population ratio. Inflation affects real incomes and wages but does not directly translate into a persistent rise in the share of the population employed over decades. This makes 3 an unlikely sole explanation, and thus this option is not a proper explanation.

Note: When evaluating which statement is NOT a proper explanation, we weigh whether each factor plausibly contributes to the long-term rise in employment relative to the population. Inflation is generally not cited as a primary driver of a sustained rise in employment to population, whereas changes in female participation, technology, social norms, and discrimination are commonly discussed mechanisms. The combined assessments across options should guide which option is not a proper explanation, keeping in mind that some answers blend multiple factors and may be variably interpreted across contexts.