Women and working lives : divisions and change

This book explores the interconnections between women's domestic lives and their paid employment, to demonstrate how male definitions of work need to be reformulated. Women's continued disadvantage in the labour market is examined through contemporary, cross-national and historical research studies. The cross-national studies used in this book show how French mothers are advantaged by state and employer policies compared to their British counterparts. The contributors of this book question the adequacy of male definitions of work for women, showing that women use a range of strategies, intimately connected with their domestic lives, to produce results. Two themes orient this collection of papers from the 1990 British Sociological Association Conference: first, an examination of alternative explanations for gender inequality in the labour market, focusing on the ideologies of motherhood, the domestic division of labour and the impact of social policies. Second, a questioning of the meaning of work, suggesting that a simple dichotomy between waged and unpaid domestic labour is inadequate to describe the contemporary situation of women. Ranged between waged work and unpaid domestic labour are various forms of self-employment, petty enterprise and exchanges used by women to generate resources.

• Part 1 Women's labour market position - ideology and social policies: world war, women's work and the gender division of paid labour, Richard Brown
• gender-role attitudes in Britain and the USA, Jacqueline Scott and Jean Duncombe
• money, marriage and motherhood: dual earner households after maternity leave, Julia Brannen
• employment and domestic work - a comparison of samples of British and French women, Ian Procter and Peter Ratcliffe
• feminisation of the labour force in Britain and France, Patricia Walters and Shirley Dex
• demographic change and 'new opportunities' for women - the case of employers' career break schemes, Carole Truman
• women under Glasnost - an analysis of 'women's place in contemporary Soviet society', Kay Richards Broschart. Part 2 Breaking male definitions of work: wives' and husbands' labour market participation and household resource distribution in the context of middle-class male unemployment, Gillian Leighton
• the modern cinderellas - women and the contract cleaning industry in Belfast, Madeleine Leonard
• women, business and self-employment - a conceptual minefield, Sheila Allen and Carole Truman
• trading relationships - home selling and petty enterprise in women's lives, Fiona Poland.

Women and Working Lives explores the interconnections between women's domestic lives and their paid employment, and shows how male definitions of work need to be reformulated. Women's continued disadvantage in the labour market is examined through contemporary, cross-national and historical research studies. Cross-national comparisons show how French mothers are advantaged by state and employer policies compared to British mothers. Contributors question the adequacy of male definitions of work for women, showing that women use a range of strategies, intimately connected with their domestic lives, to produce resources.

• List of Tables and Figures - Preface - Notes on the Contributors - Re- assessing Women's Working Lives: An Introductory Essay
• S.Arber & N.Gilbert - PART 1 WOMEN'S LABOUR MARKET POSITION: IDEOLOGY AND SOCIAL POLICIES - World War, Women's Work and the Gender Division of Paid Labour
• R.Brown - Gender-role Attitudes in Britain and the USA
• J.Scott & J.Duncombe - Money, Marriage and Motherhood: Dual Earner Households after Maternity Leave
• J.Brannen - Employment and Domestic Work: A Comparison of Samples of British and French Women
• I.Procter & P.Ratcliffe - Feminisation of the Labour Force in Britain and France
• P.Walters & S.Dex - Demographic Change and 'New Opportunities' for Women: The Case of Employers' Career Break Schemes
• C.Truman - Women Under Glasnost: An Analysis of Women's Place in Contemporary Soviet Society
• K.Richards Broschart - PART 2 BREAKING MALE DEFINITIONS OF WORK - Wives' and Husbands' Labour Market Participation and Household Resource Distribution in the Context of Middle-Class Male Unemployment
• G.Leighton - The Modern Cinderellas: Women and the Contract Cleaning Industry in Belfast
• M.Leonard - Women, Business and Self-Employment: A Conceptual Minefield
• S.Allen & C.Truman - Trading Relationships: Home Selling and Petty Enterprise in Women's Lives
• F.Poland - Bibliography - Index