Women and the labour market

The labour market is currently undergoing considerable change. In particular, the advance of new technology and the development of positive action training for women have the potential to change patterns of gender segregation in the workplace. Teresa Rees draws on a wide range of international studies of these issues and discusses them in the context of current theoretical and political debate.

Based on work carried out by the author in Britain, Germany and Australia, Women and the Labour Market focuses on education and training policy, changes in labour supply, and changes in the nature and size of labour demand. It highlights the obstacles to equality at work, showing how the ideology of the family, the limitations of material reality and the exclusionary mechanisms operated by men have an adverse impact upon women's experiences of paid work. As well as underlining the power of patriarchy in shaping the labour market, Women and the Labour Market also discusses the development of policy measures which might have some effect on breaking down gender inequalities.

An important contribution to current debates, the study puts forward practical suggestions for adjusting the system at the key points of recruit ment, training and work organisation. The book will be of interest to a wide readership, including students and researchers in women's studies, sociology, economics, work and employment, human resource management and industrial relations, and also to education and training providers, Training and Enterprise Councils, employers and trade unions.