Synopses & Reviews
Gender, Work and Space explores how social boundaries are constructed between women and men, and among women living in different places. Focusing on work, the segregation of men and women into different occupations, and variations in women's work experiences in different parts of the city, the authors argue that these differences are grounded, constituted in and through, space, place, and situated social networks.
The sheer range and depth of this extraordinary study throws new light on the construction of social, geographic, economic, and symbolic boundaries in ordinary lives.
Synopsis
Gender, Work and Space explores how boundaries are constructed between women and men, and among women living in different neighborhoods. Focusing on work, the segregation of men and women into different occupations, and variations in women's work experiences in various parts of the city, the authors argue that these differences are grounded, are constituted in and through space, place and situated networks.
The authors use a case study of a contemporary city to establish that many women are dependent on extremely local employment opportunities, especially those women with heavy household responsibilities. Women's dependence on locally available jobs focuses attention on the existence of different employment districts throughout the city. The argument is that social, economic and geographic boundaries are overlaid and intertwined. This book contributes to debates about the geography of labor market segmentation, to our understanding of sex-based occupational segregation and, in the close attention given to the construction of social, geographic, economic and symbolic boundaries in ordinary lives, provides a counterbalance to the focus on mobility within contemporary feminist theory.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 250-264) and index.