Understanding employment systems from a gender perspective: pitfalls and potentials of new comparative analytical frameworks

Economic globalization, welfare state transformation as well as political and social change on national and supranational level impact on national labor markets in advanced societies in complex ways. From a gender perspective, these dynamics of change entail deregulation as well as re-regulation of employment systems and at the same time are triggered by shifts in gender relations. Addressing this complexity poses challenges to scholarly research comparing employment systems and systemizing cross-national variations of labor market regimes which tend to neglect gender relations as a relevant factor of change. This context sets the framework for our question on how ongoing changes in employment systems and in gender relations are taken up in recent scholarship. We focus on three approaches prominent in the mainstream scholarly debate which address the current state of employment systems in advanced economies in comparative perspective spanning from political economy to micro economics and economic sociology, namely the Varieties of Capitalism (VOC) approach (Hall/Soskice 2001), Marsden's micro-economic theory of employment systems (1999) and Fligstein's work 'The architecture of markets' (2001). The approaches differ in the assignment of agency (to firms, employees and the state) as well as in the assessment of the role of educational institutions for shaping employment systems. They thus dispose of different pitfalls and potentials for analyzing the gendered character of change of employment systems. -- Unter dem Einfluss von Globalisierung, Wohlfahrtsstaatstransformation und politischen und gesellschaftlichen Umbrüchen sind nationale Arbeitsmärkte in fortgeschrittenen Marktökonomien erheblichen Veränderungen ausgesetzt. In geschlechtssensibler Perspektive wird deutlich, dass hier nicht nur Deregulierung von Beschäftigung sondern auch Re- Regulierung eine Rolle spielt, ebenso wie Arbeitsmarktdynamiken auch durch Veränderungen im Geschlechterverhältnis beeinflusst sind. Diese Komplexität des Wandels stellt eine Herausforderung für die vergleichende Arbeitsmarkt- und Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung dar, in deren Typisierung von Arbeitsmarktregimes Geschlechterverhältnisse nur begrenzt Berücksichtigung finden. Vor diesem Hintergrund fragen wir, wie in einschlägigen neueren Ansätzen zur Analyse von Arbeitsmärkten Wandel von Beschäftigungssystemen und Geschlechterverhältnissen konzipiert wird. Im Mittelpunkt stehen drei prominente komparatistisch ausgerichtete Konzepte: der polit-ökonomische Ansatz ‚Varieties of Capitalism’ (Hall/Soskice 2001), die mikro-ökonomische Theorie von Beschäftigungssystemen von David Marsden (1999) und Neil Fligstein’s wirtschaftssoziologischer Ansatz ‚The architecture of markets’ (2001). Wie die Ergebnisse zeigen, unterscheiden sich die Ansätze in der Identifikation von relevanten Akteuren (Betriebe, Beschäftigte, Staat) ebenso wie in der Rolle, die Ausbildungsinstitutionen für die Strukturierung von Arbeitsmärkten zugeschrieben wird. Damit ergeben sich für die Analyse von geschlechtsspezifischen Aspekten von Beschäftigung unterschiedliche blinde Flecken und Erkenntnispotentiale.

Self-employment in Germany and the UK: Labor market regulation, risk-management and gender in comparative perspective

Within the wide range of new forms of work self-employment seems to be a distinct feature concerning a growing part of the male and female labor force in industry and services in both Germany and the UK. Especially the growth of different forms of solo selfemployment is subject to pessimistic as well as optimistic interpretations of the future quality of work and life as well as gender equality. Sound knowledge on the extent and nature of this type of work, however is rare - our comparative analysis therefore seeks to highlight the development of solo self-employment and strategies of risk-management in Germany and the UK. Concentrating on the cultural industries as an emblematic section of the global new economy, it is based on a secondary analysis of national quantitative and qualitative data and on own empirical research. After an introductory summary of the main strands of scientific debate on self-employment, we will first present an overview of volume and structure of solo self-employment growth on the one side, and of social risks tied to this employment status on the other side. We will secondly highlight collective and individual strategies of risk-management from within a regulatory approach. The results of this analysis show that self-employment growth, though a cross-national phenomenon, displays nation specific characteristics if development in time, branch distribution, social risk, and gender are looked at. At the same time new ways of both individual and collective riskmanagement are emerging. These strategies, however vary in extend and sustainability, indicating an ongoing influence of different national labor market regulations and gender regimes. --

Living with children with autistic spectrum condition: parental stress and the impact upon family functioning

Introduction. Parenting a child with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) is both practically and emotionally challenging. The condition brings difficulties in communication and social interaction, as well as abnormal behaviour patterns, all of which have an impact upon parents. Method. As part of a larger study, one hundred mothers of children with ASC were asked to complete several scales including the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-IV), and The Parenting Stress Index (short form)(PSIYSF). Results. The Parenting Stress Index scores showed that the mothers of the primary aged children felt very high levels of parental stress, and distress, while the mothers of secondary age children reported lesser levels. The FACES-IV scores indicated that the sense of flexibility was higher in the mothers of adolescents, and that the families of girls were less cohesive than that of boys. Discussion. The highest level of parental stress was reported by the mothers of younger children, with the parenting of teenage girls being the most stressful. Conclusion. A family pattern which tends to seek smaller changes could reduce the sense of family distress that parents of children with ASC experience. As the children move into adolescence the mothers tend to feel less stressed, but less so for the mothers of teenage girls

Zwischen tertiärer Krise und tertiärer Zivilisation: Zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Analyse von Dienstleistungsgesellschaften

Bei dem Text handelt es sich um die Antrittsvorlesung der Autorin im Sommersemester 2000 am Fachbereich Sozialwissenschaften der Universität Bremen. Anliegen ist es, sozialwissenschaftliche Diagnosen zur Entwicklungsdynamik der Dienstleistungsgesellschaft als wichtigen Gegenstandsbereich von Forschung und Lehre in der Soziologie zu kennzeichnen. Im Mittelpunkt steht zunächst Fourastiés klassische Analyse zur Ausweitung von Dienstleistungen in westlichen Industriegesellschaften. Argumentiert wird, dass diese Analyse nicht zuletzt aufgrund ihrer Prognose einer 'tertiären Zivilisation' einen Interpretationshorizont für den Wandel von Arbeits- und Konsumformen in modernen Gesellschaften bereitstellt, der über ökonomische Engführungen hinausgeht. Gleichwohl, so die weitere Argumentation, bedürfen Fourastiés Analyse wie auch deren kritische Weiterführungen, etwa durch die Arbeiten von Berger/Offe, einer Geschlechtssensibilisierung im Sinn einer stärkeren Berücksichtigung der geschlechterkulturellen Überformung der beruflichen Strukturierung von Dienstleistungsarbeit wie von privater Sorgearbeit. Abschließend werden mit Bezug auf krisenhafte wie zivilisatorische Potentiale von Dienstleitungsentwicklung forschungsstrategische und normativ- gesellschaftspolitische Herausforderungen angesprochen

Zwischen tertiärer Krise und tertiärer Zivilisation: Zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Analyse von Dienstleistungsgesellschaften

Bei dem Text handelt es sich um die Antrittsvorlesung der Autorin im Sommersemester 2000 am Fachbereich Sozialwissenschaften der Universität Bremen. Anliegen ist es, sozialwissenschaftliche Diagnosen zur Entwicklungsdynamik der Dienstleistungsgesellschaft als wichtigen Gegenstandsbereich von Forschung und Lehre in der Soziologie zu kennzeichnen. Im Mittelpunkt steht zunächst Fourastiés klassische Analyse zur Ausweitung von Dienstleistungen in westlichen Industriegesellschaften. Argumentiert wird, dass diese Analyse nicht zuletzt aufgrund ihrer Prognose einer 'tertiären Zivilisation' einen Interpretationshorizont für den Wandel von Arbeits- und Konsumformen in modernen Gesellschaften bereitstellt, der über ökonomische Engführungen hinausgeht. Gleichwohl, so die weitere Argumentation, bedürfen Fourastiés Analyse wie auch deren kritische Weiterführungen, etwa durch die Arbeiten von Berger/Offe, einer Geschlechtssensibilisierung im Sinn einer stärkeren Berücksichtigung der geschlechterkulturellen Überformung der beruflichen Strukturierung von Dienstleistungsarbeit wie von privater Sorgearbeit. Abschließend werden mit Bezug auf krisenhafte wie zivilisatorische Potentiale von Dienstleitungsentwicklung forschungsstrategische und normativ- gesellschaftspolitische Herausforderungen angesprochen. --

Legal and institutional incentives for undocumented work in private households in Germany: Stocktaking and problem-solving approaches

Private households' demand for support in housekeeping, childcare and care of elderly is increasing. In Germany, it is met mainly by undocumented work. The report shows that this constellation is eased by legal and institutional regulations: Social as well as tax legislation promote a "marginal employment" of married women. Restrictive rules for additional earnings in the social welfare law and high charges on low wage incomes are often a hindrance to the improvement of welfare recipients' and low-paid workers' precarious economic situation by regular work. Foreigners from a non-EU member state eventually have - due to restrictive immigration legislation - few possibilities to take up legal work in Germany. The interest in regular work might be raised (i.a.) by an increase of the upper limits on additional earning and the promotion of employment which ensures livelihoods in domestic services

Top down or bottom up? A cross-national study of vertical occupational sex segregation in twelve European Countries

Starting with a comparative assessment of different welfare regimes and political economies from the perspective of gender awareness and pro-women policies, this paper identifies the determinants of cross-national variation in women's chances of being in a high-status occupation in twelve West European countries. Special emphasis is given to size and structure of the service sector, including share of women in public employment and structural factors such as trade union density and employment protection. The first level of comparison between men and women concentrates on gender representation in the higher echelons of the job hierarchy, while in the second section we extend the scope of analysis, comparing women in high-status occupations and low-wage employment in order to allow for a more nuanced study of gender and class interaction. The first analysis is based on European Social Survey data for the years 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008, capturing recent trends in occupational dynamics. Results indicate that in general a large service sector and a high trade union density enhance women's chances of being in a high-status occupations while more specifically a large public sector helps to reduce channeling women in low-wage employment. Thus, equality at the top can well be paired with inequality at the bottom, as postindustrial countries with a highly polarized occupational hierarchy such as the UK show. --occupational sex segregation,gender equality,public sector employment,cross-national comparison

The Mirror Alignment and Control System for CT5 of the H.E.S.S. experiment

The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) experiment is one of the largest observatories for gamma-ray astronomy. It consists of four telescopes with a reflecting dish diameter of 12m (CT1 to CT4) and a newer large telescope (CT5) with a reflecting dish diameter of 28m. On CT5 876 mirror facets are mounted, all of them equipped with a computerised system for their alignment. The design of the mirror alignment and control system and the performance of the hardware installed to the telescope are presented. Furthermore the achieved point spread function of the telescope over the full operational elevation range as well as the stability of the alignment over an extended period of time are shown