Work-life integration is an increasingly hot topic in the media, social research, governments and in people's everyday lives. This volume offers a new type of lens for understanding work-family reconciliation by studying how work-family dynamics are shaped, squeezed and developed between consistent or competing logics in different societies in Europe and the US. The three institutions of "state", "family" and "working life", and their under-explored primary logics of "regulation", "morality" and "economic competitiveness" are examined theoretically as well as empirically throughout the chapters, thus contributing to an understanding of the contemporary challenges within the field of work-family research that combines structure and culture. Particular attention is given to the ways in which the institutions are confronted with various moral norms of good parenthood or motherhood and ideals for family life. Likewise, the logic of policy regulation and gendered family moralities are challenged by the economic logic of working life, based on competition in favour of the most productive workers and organizations. Demonstrating different aspects of what is behind and between the logics of state regulation, morals and market, this innovative volume will appeal to students, teachers and researchers interested in areas such as family studies, welfare state studies, social policy studies, work life studies as well as and gender studies.

Feminist concern with difference has rarely extended to rurality even if it is now widely recognized that experiences of inequality depend on intersections of several identities in each individual life. This lack of concern may reflect the urban background of the majority of feminist academics or at least their urban positionality once in the academy. It may equivalently be that feminists have been influenced by stereotypes of rural women as traditional and reactionary, and thus seen them as unlikely exponents of gender equality, and an unfruitful focus for scholarly energies. Perhaps the problem is a broader one, that is, reflective of the much documented, but still apparent unwillingness of many feminists to recognize and address difference in any of its manifestations. Regardless, even with the recent interest in intersectionality which has necessarily renewed and reenergized debates in feminism about diversity and inclusion, the question of how women are differently positioned because of their non-metropolitan location has remained largely overlooked.

Feminist concern with difference has rarely extended to rurality even if it is now widely recognized that experiences of inequality depend on intersections of several identities in each individual life. This lack of concern may reflect the urban background of the majority of feminist academics or at least their urban positionality once in the academy. It may equivalently be that feminists have been influenced by stereotypes of rural women as traditional and reactionary, and thus seen them as unlikely exponents of gender equality, and an unfruitful focus for scholarly energies. Perhaps the problem is a broader one, that is, reflective of the much documented, but still apparent unwillingness of many feminists to recognize and address difference in any of its manifestations. Regardless, even with the recent interest in intersectionality which has necessarily renewed and reenergized debates in feminism about diversity and inclusion, the question of how women are differently positioned because of their non-metropolitan location has remained largely overlooked.

All work is gendered and all work is embodied. Yet, in common with so many features of social life, these connections have remained largely unnoticed in most areas of social enquiry. All three topics - gender, bodies and work - have their own history and theoretical concerns and have recently showed signs of convergence. This volume recognizes this convergence and explores the inter-connections more specifically. The authors provide a set of questions which draw together themes already present in existing studies and which provide the basis for further analysis and theoretical elaboration. The chapters explore processes of embodiment and disembodiment within working settings and discuss the implications of these for the construction of gendered identities. Enhancing our knowledge of all three terms, Gender, Bodies and Work develops a perspective that has considerable potential both for assessing the past and exploring the future.

Nordic countries lead the way in facilitating better work-family integration through their design of parental leave policies that encourage men towards life courses with greater care responsibilities. Based on original research, this compelling book offers a novel analysis of the everyday parental practices of fathers and parents in Norway as a way of understanding the workings of labour market and welfare policies, whilst considering how migrant fathers might relate to the expectations such laws generate. The authors showcase how this style of men's care work constitutes a re-gendering of men by promoting 'caring masculinities'.

All work is gendered and all work is embodied. Yet, in common with so many features of social life, these connections have remained largely unnoticed in most areas of social enquiry. All three topics - gender, bodies and work - have their own history and theoretical concerns and have recently showed signs of convergence. This volume recognizes this convergence and explores the inter-connections more specifically. The authors provide a set of questions which draw together themes already present in existing studies and which provide the basis for further analysis and theoretical elaboration. The chapters explore processes of embodiment and disembodiment within working settings and discuss the implications of these for the construction of gendered identities. Enhancing our knowledge of all three terms, Gender, Bodies and Work develops a perspective that has considerable potential both for assessing the past and exploring the future.

Work-life integration is an increasingly hot topic in the media, social research, governments and in people's everyday lives. This volume offers a new type of lens for understanding work-family reconciliation by studying how work-family dynamics are shaped, squeezed and developed between consistent or competing logics in different societies in Europe and the US. The three institutions of "state", "family" and "working life", and their under-explored primary logics of "regulation", "morality" and "economic competitiveness" are examined theoretically as well as empirically throughout the chapters, thus contributing to an understanding of the contemporary challenges within the field of work-family research that combines structure and culture. Particular attention is given to the ways in which the institutions are confronted with various moral norms of good parenthood or motherhood and ideals for family life. Likewise, the logic of policy regulation and gendered family moralities are challenged by the economic logic of working life, based on competition in favour of the most productive workers and organizations. Demonstrating different aspects of what is behind and between the logics of state regulation, morals and market, this innovative volume will appeal to students, teachers and researchers interested in areas such as family studies, welfare state studies, social policy studies, work life studies as well as and gender studies.

Nordic countries lead the way in facilitating better work-family integration through their design of parental leave policies that encourage men towards life courses with greater care responsibilities. Based on original research, this compelling book offers a novel analysis of the everyday parental practices of fathers and parents in Norway as a way of understanding the workings of labour market and welfare policies, whilst considering how migrant fathers might relate to the expectations such laws generate. The authors showcase how this style of men's care work constitutes a re-gendering of men by promoting 'caring masculinities'.

This book explores how rural gender relations are changing in a globalized world. It analyses their development in specific places and the effects of the increasing connectedness and mobility of people. It integrates global experiences by discussing mobility, agriculture, gender identities and international development. Each theme is introduced with an overview of the state of the art in that specific area and integrates the case studies that follow. The contributors present empirical work from the global north and south and, more particularly, Sweden, Norway, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, UK, Poland, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Uzbekistan, India, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. The first section explores gender differences in mobility patterns and analyses how mobility affects rural gender identities and relations. The second section focuses on the development of agricultural and rural policies, the response of individuals within farm households, and the implications for gender relations in rural areas. The third section focuses on the construction of identities and the changes occurring in the definition of rural femininity and masculinity as a result of rural transformations. The fourth section examines the role of international development policies in advancing women's well-being in the less developed parts of the world, and some of the unintended consequences of such interventions. The book closes with conclusions and reflections on the position of gender in rural research agendas and in rural academia more generally. Key features: * Empircal work from a wide range of geographical areas * Examines how gender identities are constructed in rural agriculture * Considers how effective development policies are in improving women's well-being This book will be of interest to researchers in rural development and gender issues in the global North and South, and to students of rural sociology, social geography, development studies and gender studies.