Leah F. Vosko
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199574810
- eISBN:
- 9780191722080
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574810.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy, HRM / IR
This chapter explores contemporary regulatory responses to challenges to the temporal boundaries of the SER and their associated precariousness, typified by the 1994 ILO Convention on Part‐Time Work, ...
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This chapter explores contemporary regulatory responses to challenges to the temporal boundaries of the SER and their associated precariousness, typified by the 1994 ILO Convention on Part‐Time Work, which subscribes to equal treatment. To analyse the logic of this regulation, it considers the nature and significance of part‐time employment in Australia, where it is highly prevalent and also deeply gendered. However, it is the composition of part‐time employment that most distinguishes this national case: a relatively small proportion of part‐time workers are permanent employees. Rather, many part‐time workers are employed either on a casual or fixed‐term basis or are self‐employed. Even among all part‐time employees, most are casual—many of whom are women. The Australian case illustrates the implications of SER‐centric responses to precariousness amongst part‐time workers that chiefly address the situation of permanent part‐time wage‐earners, while leaving the situation of their casual counterparts intact.Less
This chapter explores contemporary regulatory responses to challenges to the temporal boundaries of the SER and their associated precariousness, typified by the 1994 ILO Convention on Part‐Time Work, which subscribes to equal treatment. To analyse the logic of this regulation, it considers the nature and significance of part‐time employment in Australia, where it is highly prevalent and also deeply gendered. However, it is the composition of part‐time employment that most distinguishes this national case: a relatively small proportion of part‐time workers are permanent employees. Rather, many part‐time workers are employed either on a casual or fixed‐term basis or are self‐employed. Even among all part‐time employees, most are casual—many of whom are women. The Australian case illustrates the implications of SER‐centric responses to precariousness amongst part‐time workers that chiefly address the situation of permanent part‐time wage‐earners, while leaving the situation of their casual counterparts intact.
Colette Fagan and Pierre Walthery
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199681136
- eISBN:
- 9780191767449
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199681136.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Fagan and Walthery use Sen’s (1999) capabilities framework to advance the debate about choice and constraint in relation to part-time work. They use a European establishment survey to identify which ...
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Fagan and Walthery use Sen’s (1999) capabilities framework to advance the debate about choice and constraint in relation to part-time work. They use a European establishment survey to identify which employers permit their employees to make individual-level adjustments between full-time and part-time working, given that employer policy is an important social conversion factor which shapes individual working-time capabilities. State policy clearly matters, but across Europe firm-level characteristics, including sector, establishment size, presence of a trade union, and the gender and skill composition of the workforce, all had a significant and independent influence on employer policy towards individual-level working-time adjustments. The firm’s broader working-time practices and managerial culture towards their employees’ worklife balance had an additional and independent effect. Reversibility options were curtailed in establishments where the workforce was contracting, except in firms which had a policy of full reversibility targeted at skilled employees only.Less
Fagan and Walthery use Sen’s (1999) capabilities framework to advance the debate about choice and constraint in relation to part-time work. They use a European establishment survey to identify which employers permit their employees to make individual-level adjustments between full-time and part-time working, given that employer policy is an important social conversion factor which shapes individual working-time capabilities. State policy clearly matters, but across Europe firm-level characteristics, including sector, establishment size, presence of a trade union, and the gender and skill composition of the workforce, all had a significant and independent influence on employer policy towards individual-level working-time adjustments. The firm’s broader working-time practices and managerial culture towards their employees’ worklife balance had an additional and independent effect. Reversibility options were curtailed in establishments where the workforce was contracting, except in firms which had a policy of full reversibility targeted at skilled employees only.
Jane Elliott
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861343321
- eISBN:
- 9781447303824
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861343321.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter examines the value of longitudinal data and longitudinal approaches for examining women's lives. In particular, the chapter focuses on the role of part-time work in the context of ...
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This chapter examines the value of longitudinal data and longitudinal approaches for examining women's lives. In particular, the chapter focuses on the role of part-time work in the context of British women's work histories. In addition to presenting the outcome of longitudinal analyses of women's work histories, the chapter also places emphasis on the need to take a more reflexive approach to the use of qualitative life history data. It focuses on the manner in which longitudinal research on women's life has concentrated on the behaviour of mothers after the birth of their first child. In addition, the chapter also focuses on the implications of conflating all women with the subgroup of mothers for reifying the concept of gender from the perspective of feminist theory. The first section of this chapter concentrates on conceptualising women's employment. The first part discusses recent research on women's behaviour and highlights the importance of understanding the role of part-time employment in the dynamic context of women's work histories. The second part outlines some theoretical debates on the concept of ‘women’ within feminist writings. The second section of the chapter discusses the results of event history models, based on the data from the National Child Development Survey (NCDS). The final section considers how the recent feminist theory informs the manner of conducting and presenting longitudinal analyses.Less
This chapter examines the value of longitudinal data and longitudinal approaches for examining women's lives. In particular, the chapter focuses on the role of part-time work in the context of British women's work histories. In addition to presenting the outcome of longitudinal analyses of women's work histories, the chapter also places emphasis on the need to take a more reflexive approach to the use of qualitative life history data. It focuses on the manner in which longitudinal research on women's life has concentrated on the behaviour of mothers after the birth of their first child. In addition, the chapter also focuses on the implications of conflating all women with the subgroup of mothers for reifying the concept of gender from the perspective of feminist theory. The first section of this chapter concentrates on conceptualising women's employment. The first part discusses recent research on women's behaviour and highlights the importance of understanding the role of part-time employment in the dynamic context of women's work histories. The second part outlines some theoretical debates on the concept of ‘women’ within feminist writings. The second section of the chapter discusses the results of event history models, based on the data from the National Child Development Survey (NCDS). The final section considers how the recent feminist theory informs the manner of conducting and presenting longitudinal analyses.
Gash Vanessa and Inanc Hande
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199664719
- eISBN:
- 9780191765209
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199664719.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter investigates the implications of the economic crisis on the peripheral workforce with a particular interest on the extent to which non-standard workers are involuntarily employed in ...
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This chapter investigates the implications of the economic crisis on the peripheral workforce with a particular interest on the extent to which non-standard workers are involuntarily employed in these positions. It also reveals whether peripheral workers have been disproportionately exposed to employment insecurity. It shows that there has been an increase in the share of atypical employees, as well an increased exposure to involuntary atypical work between 2008 and 2010 in most countries. While atypical workers were more exposed to fear of job loss, there was no increase in this risk since recession. However, many of them regarded their jobs as having few opportunities for advancement. Atypical workers were also more likely to experience pay cuts and financial hardship compared to standard employees.Less
This chapter investigates the implications of the economic crisis on the peripheral workforce with a particular interest on the extent to which non-standard workers are involuntarily employed in these positions. It also reveals whether peripheral workers have been disproportionately exposed to employment insecurity. It shows that there has been an increase in the share of atypical employees, as well an increased exposure to involuntary atypical work between 2008 and 2010 in most countries. While atypical workers were more exposed to fear of job loss, there was no increase in this risk since recession. However, many of them regarded their jobs as having few opportunities for advancement. Atypical workers were also more likely to experience pay cuts and financial hardship compared to standard employees.
Werner Eichhorst and Paul Marx
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199797899
- eISBN:
- 9780199933488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199797899.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
The chapter compares employment structures in five Continental European welfare states, with a focus on private services. Despite a common trend to overcome institutional employment barriers by ...
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The chapter compares employment structures in five Continental European welfare states, with a focus on private services. Despite a common trend to overcome institutional employment barriers by creating a more divided labor market, a closer look reveals considerable differences between national patterns of standard and non-standard work. We identify five transformative pathways towards a more flexible and cheaper use of labor in Continental European welfare states: 1. defection from permanent contracts, 2. from full-time employment, 3. from dependent employment, 4. growing wage dispersion, and 5. government-sponsored labor cost reductions. The chapter shows that by relying on one or several of these options, each country developed a distinct solution for the labor cost problem in the service sector, which corresponds to a particular form of dualization.Less
The chapter compares employment structures in five Continental European welfare states, with a focus on private services. Despite a common trend to overcome institutional employment barriers by creating a more divided labor market, a closer look reveals considerable differences between national patterns of standard and non-standard work. We identify five transformative pathways towards a more flexible and cheaper use of labor in Continental European welfare states: 1. defection from permanent contracts, 2. from full-time employment, 3. from dependent employment, 4. growing wage dispersion, and 5. government-sponsored labor cost reductions. The chapter shows that by relying on one or several of these options, each country developed a distinct solution for the labor cost problem in the service sector, which corresponds to a particular form of dualization.
Zoe Young
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781529202021
- eISBN:
- 9781529202052
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529202021.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This chapter argues that balance is the seductive and coercive mantra of modern motherhood that draws professional women towards flexible working practices. It is seductive because work forms part of ...
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This chapter argues that balance is the seductive and coercive mantra of modern motherhood that draws professional women towards flexible working practices. It is seductive because work forms part of a women's sense of self and few want to give up. It is coercive because mothers feel obliged to comply and make balance the quest of their lives. For many professional women who become mothers, achieving balance has become a career aim in itself. What this study has learned is that balance across work and family life cannot be achieved arithmetically by dividing time evenly across two domains because balance is subjective and cannot be measured in working hours. Almost as soon as equilibrium is sensed things change again, and in that way balance is also a dynamic construct; what it means tomorrow will be different from today.Less
This chapter argues that balance is the seductive and coercive mantra of modern motherhood that draws professional women towards flexible working practices. It is seductive because work forms part of a women's sense of self and few want to give up. It is coercive because mothers feel obliged to comply and make balance the quest of their lives. For many professional women who become mothers, achieving balance has become a career aim in itself. What this study has learned is that balance across work and family life cannot be achieved arithmetically by dividing time evenly across two domains because balance is subjective and cannot be measured in working hours. Almost as soon as equilibrium is sensed things change again, and in that way balance is also a dynamic construct; what it means tomorrow will be different from today.
Marisol García and Jan de Schampheleire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861342805
- eISBN:
- 9781447301400
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861342805.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
This chapter examines the research literature on the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of various forms of work. It provides a review on studies addressing the effects of active social ...
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This chapter examines the research literature on the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of various forms of work. It provides a review on studies addressing the effects of active social policies in terms of inclusion and exclusion. It explores the participation in ‘standard’ work, part-time work and flexi-work, employment programmes and training, unpaid work and informal paid work. It evaluates the issues that should be the focus of research on the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of forms of work, as well as the social policies promoting them.Less
This chapter examines the research literature on the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of various forms of work. It provides a review on studies addressing the effects of active social policies in terms of inclusion and exclusion. It explores the participation in ‘standard’ work, part-time work and flexi-work, employment programmes and training, unpaid work and informal paid work. It evaluates the issues that should be the focus of research on the inclusionary and exclusionary potentials of forms of work, as well as the social policies promoting them.
Evelyn Ellis and Philippa Watson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199698462
- eISBN:
- 9780191745904
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199698462.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law, Human Rights and Immigration
This analyses the scope of the existing EU legislation, in particular the Treaty, the Race Directive, the Framework Directive, and the Recast Directive. It continues by examining the relevant ...
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This analyses the scope of the existing EU legislation, in particular the Treaty, the Race Directive, the Framework Directive, and the Recast Directive. It continues by examining the relevant substantive provisions of these instruments, noting special difficulties in the fields of pay, access to employment, working conditions, harassment, and sexual harassment. It examines the available remedies and means of enforcement. It also examines the directives supplementing the principle of non-discrimination on the ground of sex, specifically those on part-time work, fixed-term employees, temporary agency work, and the self-employed.Less
This analyses the scope of the existing EU legislation, in particular the Treaty, the Race Directive, the Framework Directive, and the Recast Directive. It continues by examining the relevant substantive provisions of these instruments, noting special difficulties in the fields of pay, access to employment, working conditions, harassment, and sexual harassment. It examines the available remedies and means of enforcement. It also examines the directives supplementing the principle of non-discrimination on the ground of sex, specifically those on part-time work, fixed-term employees, temporary agency work, and the self-employed.
Zoe Young
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781529202021
- eISBN:
- 9781529202052
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781529202021.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
What's it really like to be a mother with a career working flexibly? Drawing on over 100 hours of interview data, this book is the first to go inside women's work and family lives in a year of ...
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What's it really like to be a mother with a career working flexibly? Drawing on over 100 hours of interview data, this book is the first to go inside women's work and family lives in a year of working flexibly. The private labours of going part-time, job sharing, and home working are brought to life with vivid personal stories. Taking a sociological and feminist perspective, the book explores contemporary motherhood, work–life balance, emotional work in families, couples and housework, maternity transitions, interactions with employers, work design and workplace cultures, and employment policies. It concludes that there is an opportunity to make employment and family life work better together and offers unique insights from women's lived experiences on how to do it.Less
What's it really like to be a mother with a career working flexibly? Drawing on over 100 hours of interview data, this book is the first to go inside women's work and family lives in a year of working flexibly. The private labours of going part-time, job sharing, and home working are brought to life with vivid personal stories. Taking a sociological and feminist perspective, the book explores contemporary motherhood, work–life balance, emotional work in families, couples and housework, maternity transitions, interactions with employers, work design and workplace cultures, and employment policies. It concludes that there is an opportunity to make employment and family life work better together and offers unique insights from women's lived experiences on how to do it.
Jill Armstrong
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447334088
- eISBN:
- 9781447334132
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447334088.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This chapter focuses on the aims and aspirations of the daughters with regards to combining work with motherhood. Almost all of the daughters who were child-free anticipated having children and had ...
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This chapter focuses on the aims and aspirations of the daughters with regards to combining work with motherhood. Almost all of the daughters who were child-free anticipated having children and had ideas about how they wanted to shape their careers around motherhood. A clear majority of the daughters also anticipated (or were) working part-time. The chapter then discusses the facets of the contemporary culture of motherhood that means many women who have embarked upon professional and managerial careers think about substantially cutting their working hours. A dominant belief is that part-time work gives you the ‘best of both worlds’. In essence, good parenting is being measured by time spent at home versus time spent at work — despite the daughters' belief that they were well mothered by career women working much more than part-time hours.Less
This chapter focuses on the aims and aspirations of the daughters with regards to combining work with motherhood. Almost all of the daughters who were child-free anticipated having children and had ideas about how they wanted to shape their careers around motherhood. A clear majority of the daughters also anticipated (or were) working part-time. The chapter then discusses the facets of the contemporary culture of motherhood that means many women who have embarked upon professional and managerial careers think about substantially cutting their working hours. A dominant belief is that part-time work gives you the ‘best of both worlds’. In essence, good parenting is being measured by time spent at home versus time spent at work — despite the daughters' belief that they were well mothered by career women working much more than part-time hours.
Eiko Kenjoh
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804754866
- eISBN:
- 9780804768207
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804754866.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter shows how high-quality part-time work can help women achieve their goals. It first presents a vignette of the Netherlands, where government policies supporting high-quality part-time ...
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This chapter shows how high-quality part-time work can help women achieve their goals. It first presents a vignette of the Netherlands, where government policies supporting high-quality part-time work seem to have increased the labor market attachment of Dutch women in comparison with Japan. It then reports statistical analysis of work decisions after the birth of a first child in Japan, the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, and Sweden. The results seem to confirm the theory that the availability of good part-time jobs might help Japanese women's efforts to balance family and career.Less
This chapter shows how high-quality part-time work can help women achieve their goals. It first presents a vignette of the Netherlands, where government policies supporting high-quality part-time work seem to have increased the labor market attachment of Dutch women in comparison with Japan. It then reports statistical analysis of work decisions after the birth of a first child in Japan, the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, and Sweden. The results seem to confirm the theory that the availability of good part-time jobs might help Japanese women's efforts to balance family and career.
Yasemin Besen-Cassino
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- November 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190685898
- eISBN:
- 9780190685935
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190685898.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work, Economic Sociology
This chapter addresses work experience from the perspective of the young people themselves so as to capture varied lived experiences of youth employment and unemployment. Research to date has ...
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This chapter addresses work experience from the perspective of the young people themselves so as to capture varied lived experiences of youth employment and unemployment. Research to date has provided an incomplete picture of youth unemployment, failing to focus on part-time work. For youth, part-time jobs are becoming scarce and more difficult to locate. With the economic recession, not only are employers in the retail and service sector less likely to hire but young people find themselves in competition with unemployed older workers and immigrant workers, rendering these jobs more competitive than ever before. Moreover, with the rise in youth unemployment and with recently intensifying aesthetic labor requirements, young people do not have the same extent of opportunities for interacting with diverse groups of workers from a range of backgrounds, including those who have been socially and economically disadvantaged.Less
This chapter addresses work experience from the perspective of the young people themselves so as to capture varied lived experiences of youth employment and unemployment. Research to date has provided an incomplete picture of youth unemployment, failing to focus on part-time work. For youth, part-time jobs are becoming scarce and more difficult to locate. With the economic recession, not only are employers in the retail and service sector less likely to hire but young people find themselves in competition with unemployed older workers and immigrant workers, rendering these jobs more competitive than ever before. Moreover, with the rise in youth unemployment and with recently intensifying aesthetic labor requirements, young people do not have the same extent of opportunities for interacting with diverse groups of workers from a range of backgrounds, including those who have been socially and economically disadvantaged.
Raffaele Grotti, Helen Russell, and Jacqueline O’Reilly
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190864798
- eISBN:
- 9780190864828
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190864798.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy, Communities and Organizations
Jobs for young people are very unevenly distributed across economic sectors. Regardless of country differences, there are striking similarities in this uneven sectorial distribution. Little attention ...
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Jobs for young people are very unevenly distributed across economic sectors. Regardless of country differences, there are striking similarities in this uneven sectorial distribution. Little attention has been given to understanding the changing composition of “youth-friendly” sectors for youth labor transitions. Using a shift-share analysis, this chapter examines whether the decline in jobs for youth, before and after the Great Recession, can be attributed to shrinkage of total employment in specific sectors (because of structural changes) or to a youth hiring freeze by employers (because of changes in employers’ preferences). This chapter examines whether the quality of youth jobs has deteriorated for young men and women in terms of changing proportions of full- and part-time, permanent and temporary job opportunities. The chapter concludes by arguing that more attention needs to be given to involving employers in policies that will enable and encourage them to employ young people, especially in difficult times.Less
Jobs for young people are very unevenly distributed across economic sectors. Regardless of country differences, there are striking similarities in this uneven sectorial distribution. Little attention has been given to understanding the changing composition of “youth-friendly” sectors for youth labor transitions. Using a shift-share analysis, this chapter examines whether the decline in jobs for youth, before and after the Great Recession, can be attributed to shrinkage of total employment in specific sectors (because of structural changes) or to a youth hiring freeze by employers (because of changes in employers’ preferences). This chapter examines whether the quality of youth jobs has deteriorated for young men and women in terms of changing proportions of full- and part-time, permanent and temporary job opportunities. The chapter concludes by arguing that more attention needs to be given to involving employers in policies that will enable and encourage them to employ young people, especially in difficult times.
Anna Boucher
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198815273
- eISBN:
- 9780191853029
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198815273.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
States and employers are increasingly selecting highly skilled immigrants according to labour market qualifications and broad human capital attributes. This chapter considers the gender implications ...
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States and employers are increasingly selecting highly skilled immigrants according to labour market qualifications and broad human capital attributes. This chapter considers the gender implications of the focus on skills through an examination of the different career trajectories of men and women. In particular, it considers the acknowledgement of part-time and non-continuous work in skilled immigration policy design as well as the potentially discriminatory effects of age limits. In doing so, it applies feminist theories from industrial relations and economics to the examination of skilled immigration policies in twelve countries, demonstrating variation across countries in their awareness to gender concerns.Less
States and employers are increasingly selecting highly skilled immigrants according to labour market qualifications and broad human capital attributes. This chapter considers the gender implications of the focus on skills through an examination of the different career trajectories of men and women. In particular, it considers the acknowledgement of part-time and non-continuous work in skilled immigration policy design as well as the potentially discriminatory effects of age limits. In doing so, it applies feminist theories from industrial relations and economics to the examination of skilled immigration policies in twelve countries, demonstrating variation across countries in their awareness to gender concerns.
Nona Willis Aronowitz
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816681204
- eISBN:
- 9781452949048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816681204.003.0041
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter argues that forcing women to choose between work and motherhood is no more equality than forcing them to stay home. There are feminists, along with traditionalists hoping to expose ...
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This chapter argues that forcing women to choose between work and motherhood is no more equality than forcing them to stay home. There are feminists, along with traditionalists hoping to expose contradictions in feminism, who argue that equality in the workplace requires equal commitment to the job, that it is inconsistent to demand consideration for pregnancy or child rearing. Yet increasingly the public recognizes that telling women “if you can’t take the heat, get back in the kitchen” is a way of dismissing a problem rather than solving it. The real question is not whether accommodations should be made for people who have jobs and children, but how. So far, most proposals for reform, such as parental leave, flexible hours, more opportunities for part-time work, and the “mommy track” have aimed to make employers’ policies less rigid. This chapter proposes a simpler and more radical idea: abolish full-time work. It argues that reducing work time shifts power from employers to workers and subordinates efficiency to quality of life.Less
This chapter argues that forcing women to choose between work and motherhood is no more equality than forcing them to stay home. There are feminists, along with traditionalists hoping to expose contradictions in feminism, who argue that equality in the workplace requires equal commitment to the job, that it is inconsistent to demand consideration for pregnancy or child rearing. Yet increasingly the public recognizes that telling women “if you can’t take the heat, get back in the kitchen” is a way of dismissing a problem rather than solving it. The real question is not whether accommodations should be made for people who have jobs and children, but how. So far, most proposals for reform, such as parental leave, flexible hours, more opportunities for part-time work, and the “mommy track” have aimed to make employers’ policies less rigid. This chapter proposes a simpler and more radical idea: abolish full-time work. It argues that reducing work time shifts power from employers to workers and subordinates efficiency to quality of life.
