Gender Paradoxes

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Gender Paradoxes
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More and more women are entering the workforce
(PROduction)
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Malestream theory concentrates on central labour
market institutions and the attacks that its
sustained
Feminist political economists also look at what
malestream theory concentrates on, but more
specifically they concentrate on how women fit
into these institutions and the significant role
that social reproduction plays
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• Social Reproduction social processes (LABOUR)
  that is performed daily for generational
  maintenance of the working populations (kids and
  homes)
• SER (standard employment relationship) (the
  opposite of contingent work) labour market
  institutions that allow for full-time, year-long
  employment with one employer, working onsite, and
  social benefits/entitlements

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1970s downsizing KWS, increasing sex equality
in employment, emphasis on flexible labour as
opposed to KWS SER type of labour, strengthening
collective bargaining by extending it to the
public sector with more limitations (govt
intervention) than is found in the private
sector, UI extensions PARADOX male bread-winner
? dual work for women
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Contingent Work any form of employment that is
characterized by low tenure, wages, limited job
security, social benefits, statutory
entitlements, substantial health concerns (not
your regular 9-5)
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• 1980s mens wages fell (more dependence on
  womens wages to maintain the bling), government
  emphasis on flexibility and deregulation, shift
  from goods-producing to service employment, men
  made their way into feminized forms of
  employment (male flight attendants), increased
  racialization of work (live-in child-care
  workers, strippers, blah blah blah)

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• feminized labour norms low pay, poor benefits,
  part-time/temp. work (historically ass. with
  women)
• 
  
  Tip your dancer

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1990s more restructuring, womens wages
polarized, labour market segmented by
age/race/immigration status, people forgot what
SER was (but it remains at the core of labour
market institutions ripe for backlash against
equity), bi/multi-lateral trade agreements
dictating labour market relations
(NAFTA) PARADOX Men get better work as they
move through age ranks but women remain
consistent ? more women working, no raise in
pay/position
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• contingent work cannot mediate contradiction
  between production and reproduction the
  significance of womens labour in social
  reproduction is more visible and actually
  important

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solution family policies that are sensitive to
womens role in social reproduction,
strengthening the public sector UNIVERSAL
CHILDCARE
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(some) policy implications childcare, education,
healthcare ? universal childcare v. monthly
check, new workplace safety campaign, OHIP
unloading/reducing coverage, education costing
more
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