Suchergebnisse

Understanding discursive shifts over the twentieth century in relation to family roles, paid work and care is essential to any critical review of contemporary family theory and policies. This paper charts aspects of these shifts. An analysis of case records of the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (RSSPCC), 1945 to 1960 is presented. Based upon these data we reflect upon the construction of the working-class family in the West of Scotland and draw upon one case study to illustrate issues further. This post-war period was one of rapid social and technological change. It is commonly perceived as a period of segregated gender roles, and in the UK a predominant male-breadwinner family model. The RSSPCC case records suggest that family lives and forms, particularly for those on low incomes, were diverse throughout this period. Although prosecutions for cruelty and neglect are dominant in perceptions of the society, most of its work was in material assistance, advice and surveillance. This latter aspect is considered in this paper.

Changes in the relationship of paid work, care and welfare have most impact on women, particularly those who are affected by welfare-to-work policies. A study of care in relation to transitions to the labour market made by women with dependent children in Glasgow suggests that women in low-income households face additional difficulties in achieving a balance of work and care. They may have more care responsibilities than other families but fewer material and social resources with which to carry them out. Neither the male-breadwinner model of family arrangements for the care and costs of children nor the adult-worker model that is replacing it in policy logic, takes into account their social and economic circumstances or the need for both formal and informal care to support successful transitions to further education and employment. Care is neither as straightforward to organise, nor as readily substituted for, as employment and welfare policies, in their limited attention to it, imply. The practices and meanings of care must be considered in depth if it is to be adequately understood and not further marginalised.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction: Gendering the Agenda -- 2. Gender and Scottish Identity -- 3. Women, Gender and Politics -- 4. Religion -- 5. Education and Learning -- 6. Medicine, Science and the Body -- 7. Gender, the Arts and Culture -- 8. Work, Trade and Commerce -- 9. The Family -- Contributors -- Index

Women have an unprecedented voice and place in the politics of the new Scotland. It has joined world leaders such as Sweden and Norway in terms of gender balance with women taking 37% of the seats in the new Scottish Parliament. 'Ordinary' women also have a greater say in the governance of Scotland through the Parliament's 'power sharing' model.Women and Contemporary Scottish Politics seeks to trace the move towards this state over the past decade. It collects the key journal and newspaper articles, research papers, policy documents and accounts of women and Scottish politics. Divided into three parts, coverage begins with The Women's Movement in Scotland, moves on to cover Feminist Politics and Local Government, and concludes with Women and the Campaign for the Scottish Parliament.The Anthology includes key pieces from writers such as Alice Brown, Aileen Christianson, Katie Cosgrove, Sue Innes, Isobel Lindsay, Ronnie MacDonald, and Tom Nairn. In addition, biographies of the 48 women who were elected as MSPs in 1999 are included, as well as information on the 12 women currently serving as MPs for Scottish constituencies at Westminster and the two female MEPs who represent Scotland.This is an important and timely publication, including much material that is otherwise unavailable, making it an invaluable source book for anyone with an interest in this area

Acknowledging the increasing diversity and complexity of families, this innovative book proposes a new conceptual framework for understanding families and other relationships that both challenges and attempts to reconcile traditional and contemporary approaches. Using the notion of 'boundaries', the book shifts thinking from 'families as entities' to 'families as relationship processes'. Emphasising the processes that underlie boundary construction and reconstruction suggests that the key to understanding family life is the process of relationship formation. The ideas of entity, boundary, margins and hybridity provide a framework for understanding the diverse, and often contradictory, ways in which families contribute to society. Families in society makes a significant contribution to the academic literature on families and is essential reading for social science students, social researchers, policy makers and practitioners interested in families and relationships