This pioneering work traces the transformation of "women's work" into wage labor in the U.S. from colonial days to the present and identifies the social, economic, and ideological forces that have shaped our expectations of what women do. Basing her observations upon the personal experience of individual American women set against the backdrop of American society at the time, Alice Kessler-Harris examines the effects of class, ethnic and racial patterns, changing perceptions of wage work for women, and the relationship between wage-earning and family roles. By tracking the historical integration of women into the labor force, the author argues that women's current efforts to gain full economic equality are part of a larger process that is destined to succeed.
At lastùa study that sees women's family work and paid work as an interconnected whole! Kessler-Harris' sophisticated analysis of the relationship of work-force segmentation and cultural attitudes about women's role makes an important advance, blending Labor and Women's History in a highly readable text.
Overview
This pioneering work traces the transformation of "women's work" into wage labor in the U.S. from colonial days to the present and identifies the social, economic, and ideological forces that have shaped our expectations of what women do. Basing her observations upon the personal experience of individual American women set against the backdrop of American society at the time, Alice Kessler-Harris examines the effects of class, ethnic and racial patterns, changing perceptions of wage work for women, and the ...