The article tried to find out the economic and legal causes of female unemployment and explain them. The transition to the market has created new parameters for the demand for labor; it requires new highly qualified specialists. This forces potential employees to be constantly ready to improve their skills, change the type of activity. It also puts the employee in conditions where the result of activity and remuneration for work depend not only on the amount of work and effort expended, but also on the ability to quickly navigate and adapt to new market economy conditions and the ability to apply efforts in the right direction. This is significantly different from the conditions of the planned economy, when everyone was guaranteed employment, and people felt confident and firm in their social status and standard of living.