Suchergebnisse

A review essay on Sylvia Ann Hewlett's A Lesser Life: The Myth of Women's Liberation in America (New York: William & Co, Inc, 1986 [see listing in IRPS No. 41]). Hewlett argues for a national policy that would support women as mothers. Unfortunately, her scholarship is flawed, notably in her treatment of Sigmund Freud & Jean Piaget, & in her recounting of recent history. On numerous points she appears as essentially conservative & more concerned to protect men's interests than women's. W. H. Stoddard

Although women go to work in increasing numbers in the US (55% of women aged 18-64), they are still paid less than men, earning about 60% of what men earn in similar jobs. Women also have more limited occupational choices & less mobility than men, & tend to be concentrated in clerical work, sales, & service occupations (eg, waitresses, hairdressers). Status jobs involve professional commitment, & according to cultural mores, women must be committed to the family first. Women are typically found in work in which they can be easily replaced; on-the-job training for women is not comparable to that given men. Sex-typing of professions affects a field's prestige, & "feminine" professions invite discrimination. F academics compete favorably with men in prestige & salary in scientific & mathematical disciplines, but not so favorably in the humanities, where their numbers are greater. D. Dunseath.