Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family : Towards a Political Economy of Gender and Labour Markets

This original study draws upon an interdisciplinary approach which fully incorporates both empirical and historical material. Writing from a Marxist-feminist perspective, Ben Fine provides a critical assessment of the literature which examines the changing labor market participation of women. He explores such issues as the domestic labor debate, the role of patriarchy theory, gender and labor market theory, the capitalist family, and the position of working women in the economy.

Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family responds to the growing recognition of the economic, social, and electoral importance of women. This original study draws upon an interdisciplinary approach which fully incorporates both empirical and historical material.

Ben Fine provides a critical assessment of the literature which examines the changing labor market participation of women. He explores such issues as the domestic labor debate, the role of patriarchy theory, gender and labor market theory, the capitalist family, and the position of working women in the economy. He uses demographic and historical factors such as the movement towards mass consumption through factory production to explain the timing of women's increasing dependence on waged work. Although economic issues are the main focus of the book, it also considers non-economic contributing factors, making full use of historical and empirical material.

Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family is written from a marxist-feminist perspective, and argues convincingly that this approach offers a greater challenge to the orthodoxies within economics and sociology which have as yet been untouched by postmodern theories. Despite its theoretical focus, the book avoids technicalities and will be accessible to a wide, interdisciplinary audience.

First published in 1992, Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family is an analysis of the contemporary political interest in the position of women. The author critically assesses much of the literature examining the rapidly changing lives of women and contributes to it by offering an explanation of women's labour-market participation. In particular, the book deals with the domestic labour market debate, the role of patriarchy theory, gender and labour-market theory, periodising the capitalist family and the specific position of working women in the British economy. Despite the theoretical stand-point, the book avoids technicalities and is accessible to a wide, interdisciplinary audience.

Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 8 INTRODUCTION......Page 10 Beyond the domestic labour debate......Page 19 ON PATRIARCHY......Page 31 WOMEN AND THE LABOUR-MARKET......Page 54 GENDER AND ACCESS TO THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION......Page 108 WOMEN AND THE BRITISH LABOUR-MARKET......Page 161 APPENDIX......Page 178 Notes......Page 201 References......Page 222 Name index......Page 249 Subject index......Page 252 The current interest in the position of women reflects thier economic importance. Equally important is the recognition of this in a literature examining the rapidly changing lives of women. Women's Employment and the Capitalist Family critically assesses much of this literature and contributes to it by offering an explanation of women's labour market participation The current interest in the position of women reflects their economic importance. This book critically assesses much of this literature and contributes to it by offering an explanation of women's labour market participation. First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.