This book explores the organization and divisions of labour of domestic and care work in modern France and in so doing, reveals some of the drivers of and obstacles to change in the relationship between gender, the family, and the French state. The book finds that both the policies and social norms that structure how domestic and care work is carried out and by whom in contemporary France have been influenced by historical legacies dating back to the Revolution such as French Republicanism and pronatalism, and more recent political currents such as the self-management movement and materialist feminism. Chapter 1 sets out the analytical framework for the book, while Chapter 2 explores the historical legacies that help shape contemporary domestic and care work in France. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 focus on the specific activities of parental and childcare work, long-term care for adults, and domestic work in the contemporary period. Chapter 6 discusses the effects of the COVID-19 restrictions on domestic and care work, and Chapter 7 concludes the discussion.

Women's Work in Britain and France is a ground-breaking retheorization of what constitutes 'progress' in gender relations. The book shows that French women, although having more full-time and continuous careers and greater social policy support, retain as great a responsibility for unpaid domestic and caring work as their British counterparts. It replaces the conventional focus upon encouraging women's increased insertion into employment as the principal strategy for achieving progress in gender relations with a new focus on changing men's work patterns.

Women's Work in Britain and France is a ground-breaking retheorization of what constitutes 'progress' in gender relations. The book shows that French women, although having more full-time and continuous careers and greater social policy support, retain as great a responsibility for unpaid domestic and caring work as their British counterparts. It replaces the conventional focus upon encouraging women's increased insertion into employment as the principal strategy for achieving progress in gender relations with a new focus on changing men's work patterns.

What is poverty and how can it be tackled? Taking the Third Way out of its narrow party political context, this book argues that it is necessary to harness work beyond employment in order to pave a Third Way beyond capitalism and socialism. The outcome is a thought-provoking new approach towards combating poverty. Poverty and the Third Way uncovers how New Labour's employment-focussed approach causes, rather than resolves, poverty. Searching for another approach, the authors find the seeds of an alternative 'Third Way' in radical European social democratic and ecological thought which seeks to transcend capitalism and socialism by developing work beyond employment. Exploring the reasons why such an approach is needed and how it can be implemented, the authors transcend the 'there is no alternative' to capitalism school of thought dominant in many advanced economies by providing a clearly marked route map of the way towards a post-capitalist economy.

What is poverty and how can it be tackled? Taking the Third Way out of its narrow party political context, this book argues that it is necessary to harness work beyond employment in order to pave a Third Way beyond capitalism and socialism. The outcome is a thought-provoking new approach towards combating poverty.
Poverty and the Third Way uncovers how New Labour's employment-focussed approach causes, rather than resolves, poverty. Searching for another approach, the authors find the seeds of an alternative 'Third Way' in radical European social democratic and ecological thought which seeks to transcend capitalism and socialism by developing work beyond employment. Exploring the reasons why such an approach is needed and how it can be implemented, the authors transcend the 'there is no alternative' to capitalism school of thought dominant in many advanced economies by providing a clearly marked route map of the way towards a post-capitalist economy.


eBook available with sample pages: 0203167465

Informal employment, whether the result of tax evasion or working whilst claiming benefit, is an issue rapidly rising to the top of government policy agendas. This book challenges many of the popular myths surrounding informal economic activities, offering a radical reconceptualization of their extent, growth, location and nature as well as evaluating the contrasting policy options open to governments. First, it tackles the popular belief that informal employment is growing throughout the advanced economies. Second it challenges the myth that this work is undertaken mostly by marginalized groups such as the unemployed, poor, ethnic minorities and immigrants and in deprived neighbourhoods. Third, it evaluates the dominant view that we should replace informal with formal employment through enforcement of stringent laws and regulations concerning tax evasion, benefit fraud and the contravention of labour laws.

Informal employment, whether the result of tax evasion or working whilst claiming benefit, is an issue rapidly rising to the top of government policy agendas. This book challenges many of the popular myths surrounding informal economic activities, offering a radical reconceptualization of their extent, growth, location and nature as well as evaluating the contrasting policy options open to governments. First, it tackles the popular belief that informal employment is growing throughout the advanced economies. Second it challenges the myth that this work is undertaken mostly by marginalized groups such as the unemployed, poor, ethnic minorities and immigrants and in deprived neighbourhoods. Third, it evaluates the dominant view that we should replace informal with formal employment through enforcement of stringent laws and regulations concerning tax evasion, benefit fraud and the contravention of labour laws.

Governments in Western Europe and North America have placed job creation initiatives at the heart of their policy for revitalizing deprived neighbourhoods. However, relying on this alone is problematic and these governments are becoming increasingly interested in finding ways of enabling communities to help themselves. Drawing upon original, in-depth studies of self-help activities in both deprived and affluent neighbourhoods in UK cities, this book examines why the populations of deprived neighbourhoods are more likely to be excluded not only from the labour market but also from adopting self-help practices in response to their situation. It also identifies the barriers which discourage participation in self-help projects. A combination of policies are advocated, bringing together innovative bottom-up initiatives such as LETS, time currencies and Employee Mutuals, with top-down policies such as Active Citizens' Credits. This book instead suggests a fresh and positive approach towards revitalizing deprived neighbourhoods based on seeking the full-engagement, rather than merely the full-employment, of deprived populations.