Title
Women Who Opt Out : The Debate over Working Mothers and Work-Family Balance / ed. by Bernie D. Jones.
ISBN
9780814745052
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2012]
Copyright
©2012
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Item Number
10.18574/nyu/9780814745052.001.0001 doi
Dewey Decimal Classification
331.4/40973
Summary
In a much-publicized and much-maligned 2003 New York Times article, "The Opt-Out Revolution," the journalist Lisa Belkin made the controversial argument that highly educated women who enter the workplace tend to leave upon marrying and having children. Women Who Opt Out is a collection of original essays by the leading scholars in the field of work and family research, which takes a multi-disciplinary approach in questioning the basic thesis of "the opt-out revolution." The contributors illustrate that the desire to balance both work and family demands continues to be a point of unresolved concern for families and employers alike and women's equity within the workforce still falls behind. Ultimately, they persuasively make the case that most women who leave the workplace are being pushed out by a work environment that is hostile to women, hostile to children, and hostile to the demands of family caregiving, and that small changes in outdated workplace policies regarding scheduling, flexibility, telecommuting and mandatory overtime can lead to important benefits for workers and employers alike.Contributors: Kerstin Aumann, Jamie Dolkas, Ellen Galinsky, Lisa Ackerly Hernandez, Susan J. Lambert, Joya Misra, Maureen Perry-Jenkins, Peggie R. Smith, Pamela Stone, and Joan C. Williams.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814743126
Frontmatter
Contents
Preface
Part I . "Opting Out"
Introduction: Women, Work, and Motherhood in American History
Part II . Is "Opting Out" for Real?
1. The Rhetoric and Reality of "Opting Out"
2 The Real "Opt-Out Revolution" and a New Model of Flexible Careers
Part III . Can All Women "Opt In" before They "Opt Out"?
3. "Opting In" to Full Labor Force Participation in Hourly Jobs
4. The Challenges to and Consequences of "Opting Out" for Low-Wage, New Mothers
5. The Future of Family Caregiving
6. Care Work and Women's Employment
Part IV. Conclusion
7. The Opt-Out Revolution Revisited
Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index