Working women : international perspective on labour and gender ideology

This detailed examination of the position of women in the workforce and their perceptions of their working lives, focuses on the cultural and economic factors that create disadvantage. The contributors explore the gendered nature of the economy and discuss the extent to which women can challenge their subordinate position by participating in alternative forms of work and organization.

Though the female labour market worldwide continues to expand, the terms on which women work remain problematic. Working Women is a detailed examination of women's position in a number of countries in both 'North' and 'South'. In particular, it identifies the common cultural and economic factors that create disadvantage.

Through international studies of women's work in diverse contexts, the contributors - all active feminists - give insights into the reasons for unequal conditions, showing that in widely differing locations similar concepts are used to instify women's disadvantage. They explore the extent to which w can challenge their subordinate position by participating in alternative forms of work and collective action, such as co-operatives or femu.. enterprises.

Innovative in its study of alternative working practices for women and in its comparative focus, Working Women is a unique contribution to the existing literature on women in the workforce and will be par ticularly useful to students in economics, sociology, social anthropology, gender studies and development studies.