Employment and the Family The Reconfiguration of Work and Family Life in Contemporary Societies

Rates of employment amongst mothers of young children have risen rapidly in recent years. Attitudes to gender roles have changed, and both employers and governments have had to adjust to new realities. But some argue that recent changes in employment relations are making work more family 'unfriendly'. What are the real consequences of change? Rosemary Crompton explores the origins and background of this radical shift in the gendered division of labour. Topics covered include the changing attitudes to gender roles and family life, the gendered organisational context, and recent changes in employment relations and their impact on work-life articulation. A comparative analysis of Britain, France, Norway, Finland, the United States and Portugal provides an assessment of the varying impact of state policies, and the changing domestic division of labour. Crompton draws on original research and situates her findings within contemporary theoretical and empirical debates.

1. Understanding change in employment, family and gender relations; 2. Caring and working; 3. Women, men, organisations and careers; 4. Work-life articulation, working hours, and work-life policies; 5. States, families, and work-life articulation; 6. Households, domestic work, market work, and happiness; 7. Class, family choices, and women's employment; 8. Conclusions.

The employment of women, particularly mothers, is now accepted as a 'fact of modern life'. This book examines the origins and background of this radical shift in the gendered division of labour and relates it to contemporary changes in both employment and family life with which it is intertwined.

Rosemary Crompton is Professor of Sociology at City University, London. Her previous publications include Restructuring Gender Relations and Employment (1999), Class and Stratification (1998), Women and Work in Modern Britain (1997) and Gendered Jobs and Social Change (1990). She is a past editor of Work, Employment and Society.