The Feminization Of Poverty

In Marx, Women and Capitalist Social Reproduction, Martha E. Gimenez advances a theory of social reproduction which, dialectically, views it as determined by production and as a space for the emergence of political struggles and - potentially - critical forms of consciousness.

The first book to study women's poverty over the life course, this outstanding collection compares the economic condition of single mothers and single elderly women--while also considering partnered women and immigrants--in eight wealthy but diverse countries. By identifying the social and economic policies that enable women to live independently, Poor Women in Rich Countries provides nothing less than a blueprint for abolishing women's poverty.

The 'feminisation of poverty' is viewed as a global trend, and of particular concern in developing regions. Yet although popularisation of the term may have raised women's visibility in development discourses and gone some way to 'en-gender' policies for poverty reduction, the construct is only weakly substantiated. This work covers this topic.

During the past three decades, feminist scholars have successfully demonstrated the ubiq uity and omnirelevance of gender as a sociocultural construction in virtually all human collectivities, past and present. Intrapsychic, interactional, and collective social processes are gendered, as are micro, meso, and macro social structures. Gender shapes, and is shaped, in all arenas of social life, from the most mundane practices of everyday life to those of the most powerful corporate actors. Contemporary understandings of gender emanate from a large community of primarily feminist scholars that spans the gamut of learned disciplines and also includes non-academic activist thinkers. However, while in corporating some cross-disciplinary material, this volume focuses specifically on socio logical theories and research concerning gender, which are discussed across the full array of social processes, structures, and institutions. As editor, I have explicitly tried to shape the contributions to this volume along several lines that reflect my long-standing views about sociology in general, and gender sociology in particular. First, I asked authors to include cross-national and historical material as much as possible. This request reflects my belief that understanding and evaluating the here-and-now and working realistically for a better future can only be accomplished from a comparative perspective. Too often, American sociology has been both tempero- and ethnocentric. Second, I have asked authors to be sensitive to within-gender differences along class, racial/ethnic, sexual preference, and age cohort lines.

Poverty is increasing throughout the world. Increasing numbers of the world's poor are women. For the 19902, when (according to the International Labor Organization in Geneva) 90% of the unpaid labor of the world is done by women, Hilda Scott produces startling evidence to show that the position of women is deteriorating and will continue to do so. She looks at the facts on job segregation, pay and conditions, and assesses the effects of technology, showing how women the world over are literally working their way into poverty. She proposes a way of looking at women's poverty that will give us a new approach to poverty in general. -- Back cover.

There are few areas of public policy in the Western world where there is as much turbulence as in family law. Often the disputes are seen in terms of an endless war between the genders. Reviewing developments over the last 30 years in North America, Europe and Australasia, Patrick Parkinson argues that, rather than just being about gender, the conflicts in family law derive from the breakdown of the model on which divorce reform was predicated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Experience has shown that although marriage may be freely dissoluble, parenthood is not. Dealing with the most difficult issues in family law, this book charts a path for law reform that recognizes that the family endures despite the separation of parents, while allowing room for people to make a fresh start and prioritizing the safety of all concerned when making decisions about parenting after separation.

Women and Positive Aging: An International Perspective presents the noted research in the fields of psychology, gerontology, and gender studies, reflecting the increasingly popular and pervasive positive aging issues of women in today’s society from different cohorts, backgrounds, and life situations. Each section describes a bridge between the theoretical aspects and practical applications of the theory that is consistent with the scientist-practitioner training model in psychology, including case studies and associated intervention strategies with older women in each chapter. In addition to incorporating current research on aging women’s issues, each section provides the reader with background about the topic to give context and perspective. Examines a comprehensive range of issues for aging women Details current research trends Encompasses a holistic model of women’s aging Ranges from physical and mental health in response to aging changes, to social relationships and sexuality Presents a "how to put research into practice" section in each chapter Focuses on topical issues that are relevant to women wanting to optimize their life outcomes as they live, on average, longer than ever before