Women, Men, Work and Family in Europe

Increasing the number of women (including mothers) in employment has become a major European objective, for reasons of gender equality and economic regeneration. Their historical placement in the home may not have been fair to women, but it did ensure that caring and domestic work took place. The new scenario has brought with it considerable social change, including the erosion of the traditional family unit and growing problems of work-life, balance. In this book an international team of experts addresses these topics, drawing on original quantitative and qualitative research from Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Portugal. Many of the chapters undertake comparative analysis, drawing on evidence from these countries, to present a realistic evaluation of the policy options. Wider issues, such as the consequences of these changes for gender and class inequalities, are also addressed. Book jacket.

ROSEMARY CROMPTON is Professor of Sociology at City University, London UK.

SUZAN LEWIS is Professor of Organizational Psychology at Middlesex University, UK. She co-ordinated a recently completed EU Framework Five project, Gender, Parenthood and the Changing Workplace (Transitions) and is a partner in a new EU project on Quality of Life in a Changing Europe.

CLARE LYONETTE is a Research Officer at City University, London, UK.

Rosemary and Clare are currently working on a project in the ESRC Gender Network which involves both qualitative and quantitative methods to map the work and family careers of men and women in four different occupational sectors.