Computer-aided Manufacturing and Women’s Employment: The Clothing Industry in Four EC Countries : For the Directorate-General Employment, Social Affairs and Education of the European Communities, June 1990

Drawing on the experiences of four major EC countries, this book documents the way computer technology has changed the pattern of women's work in the manufacturing sector. The sixteen contributors are leading authorities on the subject and analyse how technology has transformed employment in the clothing industry, which is still the major employer of female blue-collar workers in the EC. The contributors assess the aspects of computerisation that particularly affect women's employment opportuni- ties: flexible hours, flexible work locations and flexible specialisation. The book also contains evaluations of post-Fordism and human-centred technology, two leading issues in the debate about the applications of artificial intelligence and computer-aided technology. These essays highlight a growing polarisation in the job market and suggest training schemes which can equip women for technical and managerial employment. This is a pioneering work; so far, most of the literature on women and computerisation has focussed on office automation and data processing. **Computer-aided** **Manufacturing and Women's Employment** makes an important contribution to the fields of technology, employment, women's work, business management and trade union studies. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Reconfiguration of the Market and the Use of Computerised Technology....Pages 21-34 Front Matter....Pages 35-35 On Using Women as Resources: Italian Unions’ Strategies Towards Information Technology and New Organisation of Work....Pages 37-52 Taylorism or Human-Centred Technology? Evaluating Alternative Paths of Technology in Germany....Pages 53-70 Front Matter....Pages 71-71 Benetton Italy: Beyond Fordism and Flexible Specialisation. The Evolution of the Network Firm Model....Pages 73-91 Homeworking in Italy in the Age of Computer Technology....Pages 93-101 Pronta Moda: The New Business Ventures for Women in Italy....Pages 103-106 New Openings for Women in the UK: Design and Craft for Computer-Aided Retailing....Pages 107-116 Front Matter....Pages 117-117 Technological Gradualism and Minority Women: A Case Study of the British and German Clothing Industries....Pages 119-123 An Aspect of Informalisation of Women’s Work in a High-Tech Age: Turkish Sweatshops in the Netherlands....Pages 125-137 Front Matter....Pages 139-139 Technical Developments and Internationalisation of the German Clothing and Knitwear Industry....Pages 141-149 Computer-aided Technology and an Emerging International Division of Labour: Prospects for Women....Pages 151-161 Rationalisation and Internationalisation of Clothing Firms in the Netherlands: The Case of van Winkel Fashions Company in Budel....Pages 163-165 Front Matter....Pages 167-167 Why Do Women Organise Through Trade Unions in Germany?....Pages 169-174 Empowerment or Escape? Technical Training for Homeworkers in Britain....Pages 175-184 The Role of Local Intervention: Choices and Agencies for Change....Pages 185-198 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Restructuring for 1992: Training Women to Meet Shortfalls in Technical and Managerial Skills....Pages 201-211 Back Matter....Pages 213-236