Divergent Female Part-Time Employment in Britain and Denmark and the Implications for Gender Equity

This paper examines women's employment in Britain and Denmark, societies characterised similarly by high proportions of female employees working part-time but by rather different gender arrangements. Part-time working is associated with female-carer workers; women who have reduced their hours in the labour market to bring up children and are able to do this because of the presence of an alternative source of income, usually a male breadwinner. Yet Denmark has been conceptualised as having more of a 'dual-breadwinner' gender arrangement than Britain. It would seem then, that part-time working is distinctly different in these two societies. Examining this question, the paper concludes that extensive part-time working for women, and not men, does indeed tend to reinforce a traditional male-breadwinner model. However, the strength of this reinforcement varies, depending on the relative conditions of the part-time labour market. These conditions vary substantially cross-nationally and can also change rapidly within one society over time. As a result, the typical 'role' a part-time job plays for women can also vary cross-nationally and can change over time

Work–life balance/imbalance: the dominance of the middle class and the neglect of the working class

The paper was stimulated by the question of class in work-life debates. The common conclusion from work-life studies is that work-life imbalance is largely a middle class problem. It is argued here that this assertion is a direct outcome of a particular and narrow interpretation of work-life imbalance in which time is seen to be the major cause of difficulty. Labour market time, and too much of it, dominates the conceptualisation of work-life and its measurement too. This heavy focus on a certain type of work-life imbalance: chronometric overstretched temporal imbalance, has rendered largely invisible from dominant work-life debates the types of imbalance that are more likely to impact the working class. Looking at working class employees in the UK, this paper asserts that ‘too few’ hours working also has work-life ramifications. It thus argues for the necessity of analysing economic – and not just temporal - roots of work-life imbalance. The paper concludes that if we are to continue to pursue work-life analysis, the conceptualisation of work-life needs to more full incorporate economic-based imbalance if it is to better represent class inequalities

Work time. Leisure time. On women’s temporal and economic wellbeing in Europe

In the study of work time, a wealth of influential ideas have emerged about the potentially damaging impact of too many hours in the labour market on the rest of peoples’ lives, as well as about the negative economic ramifications of short hours working. The paper focuses on the temporal and economic wellbeing of female employees in Europe, stimulated by the importance of work time in debates over time poverty and work life integration. It asks whether women in shorter hours jobs are happiest with their time, for paid work and leisure, but also what might the lower wages from reduced hours working mean for women, particularly those in low level occupations. The paper shows first that although working fewer hours contributes to women’s satisfaction with their time in many countries, it is long full-time hours that have the strongest (negative) relationship with women’s temporal wellbeing across Europe. Second, the paper demonstrates the damaging impact of working in low level occupations – both part-time and full-time - on the economic wellbeing of women’s households. It stresses the importance of a combined work time and occupational class approach in the ongoing analysis of women’s working lives

Researching the gender division of unpaid domestic work: practices, relationships, negotiations, and meanings

The paper focuses on the potential of quantitative research methods for sociologists who research the gender division of unpaid domestic work. To begin, it reflects on the emergence of the sociological interest in unpaid domestic work and identifies an early core concern with making invisible work visible. It is argued that quantitative research methods provide us with the most valuable opportunities for ‘recognising’ unpaid domestic work since they facilitate larger scale representative projects. However the data in most of the large scale surveys are scant, and fail to reflect developments in the conceptualisation of unpaid domestic work. Four areas of concern to contemporary sociology are identified: domestic work practices, relationships, negotiations and meanings. Given the complex questions that these four sub- topics raise, the paper proposes a range of sub-areas as a focus for ongoing sociological research into unpaid domestic work. It is concluded that despite the methodological challenges presented, detailed indicators of the multiple dimensions of unpaid domestic work need to be agreed so that valid information can be collected as routinely in large scale surveys as are those on paid work

What if the UK’s childcare provision was as good as Denmark’s?

Childcare costs in the UK are among the highest in the world. The government plans to relax staff to child ratios to make it cheaper but, warn Lene Hyltoft and Tracey Warren (Nottingham University Business School), improving the quality of early years provision is just as important as making it more affordable. Denmark has shown it is possible to do both

Innovative Social Policies for Gender Equality at Work

The project asked about policies to support work-family reconciliation among low-waged women in England. How are low-waged women constrained in their choices by limited and fragmentary social policies? We identified innovative social policies available in the international arena around parental leave, child-care, and time that could promote work-family reconciliation, more continuous employment and better quality jobs among low-waged women in England. Would these policies be attractive and better meet their needs in reconciling paid work and family

Mobile and Web-Based Applications to Determine the Most Economical Feedstuffs for Livestock

Producers are turning to mobile and Web-based decision-making tools in increasing numbers to better manage their businesses. To assist livestock producers in evaluating feed options, a Feed Cost Calculator was developed as an app for iOS, Android, and Web-based platforms. Mobile applications are a viable alternative to spreadsheet tools to address the needs of Extension clientele; however, there are certain inherent limitations to using mobile technology that must be considered