Liberating Economics: Feminist Perspectives on Families, Work, and Globalization (Advances In Heterodox Economics)

Liberating Economics draws on central concepts from women's studies scholarship to construct a feminist understanding of the economic roles of families, caring labor, motherhood, paid and unpaid labor, poverty, the feminization of labor, and the consequences of globalization. Barker and Feiner consistently recognize the importance of social location -- gender, race, class, sexual identity, and nationality -- in economic processes shaping the home, paid employment, market relations, and the global economy. Throughout they connect women's economic status in the industrialized nations to the economic circumstances surrounding women in the global South. Rooted in the two disciplines, this book draws on the rich tradition of interdisciplinary work in feminist social science scholarship to construct a parallel between the notions that the "personal is political" and "the personal is economic." Drucilla K. Barker is Professor of Economics and Women's Studies, Hollins University. Susan F. Feiner is Associate Professor of Economics and Women's Studies, University of Southern Maine. This imaginatively written volume is essential reading for all who want to learn about the feminist revolution in economic thought. Accessible to nonspecialists and students from all fields, this book shows how gender, race, nation, and class interact in economic systems to influence human well-being. --Diana Strassman, Professor of the Practice, Senior Research Fellow, and Editor, Feminist Economics, Rice University "Feminism teaches us to think of the person in context: family, social and global. The atomism beloved of economics from the man's perspective melts away when you do that--and it's about time, too."--James Galbraith, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin Liberating Economics draws on central concepts from women's studies scholarship to construct a feminist understanding of the economic roles of families, caring labor, motherhood, paid and unpaid labor, poverty, the feminization of labor, and the consequences of globalization. Barker and Feiner consistently recognize the importance of social location -- gender, race, class, sexual identity, and nationality -- in economic processes shaping the home, paid employment, market relations, and the global economy. Throughout they connect women's economic status in the industrialized nations to the economic circumstances surrounding women in the global South. Rooted in the two disciplines, this book draws on the rich tradition of interdisciplinary work in feminist social science scholarship to construct a parallel between the notions that the "personal is political" and "the personal is economic." The Authors Draw Central Concepts From Women's Studies Scholarship To Construct A Feminist Understanding Of The Economic Roles Of Families, Caring Labour, Motherhood, Paid And Unpaid Labour, Poverty, The Feminization Of Labour And The Consequences Of Globalization. Economics, She Wrote -- Family Matters: Reproducing The Gender Division Of Labor -- Love's Labors--care's Costs -- Women, Work, And National Policies -- Women And Poverty In The Industrialized Countries -- Globalization Is A Feminist Issue -- Dickens Redux: Globalization And The Informal Economy -- The Liberated Economy. Drucilla K. Barker And Susan F. Feiner. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 167-179) And Index. Frontmatter List of Figures (page ix) List of Tables (page xi) Preface and Acknowledgments (page xiii) Chapter 1. "Economics," She Wrote (page 1) Chapter 2. Family Matters: Reproducing the Gender Division of Labor (page 19) Chapter 3. Love's Labors—Care's Costs (page 41) Chapter 4. Women, Work, and National Policies (page 56) Chapter 5. Women and Poverty in the Industrialized Countries (page 75) Chapter 6. Globalization Is a Feminist Issue (page 95) Chapter 7. Dickens Redux: Globalization and the Informal Economy (page 118) Chapter 8. The Liberated Economy (page 128) Notes (page 145) Select Bibliography (page 167) Index (page 181)