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11.237 Gender, Work, and Pulic Policy

11.237 GENDER, WORK AND PUBLIC POLICY SPRING 1999   Aixa N. Cintrón Email: acintron@mit.edu Office: Room 9-525 Office Hours: TBA Phone No.: 253-2010   Course Content Women workers rarely appear in labor market theory. When they do, they are presented as a separate category, determined by biological differences and their family responsibilities. This course examines the status of working women under a variety of governmental policies and labor conditions. The first part of the course is a survey of key debates on sex and gender differences in employment and earnings. The second part of the course uses the United States as an example to examine attempted policy responses to the increasing "feminization of the labor force." Students will apply theoretical issues to a policy topic of their choice (e.g., family leave, unionization, comparable worth, affirmative action, tax credits and income support, equal protection for part-time work, job training or other). Readings All required readings will be available in a course-pack. Readings are also on reserve in Rotch Library. Organization and Requirements Class grades will be based on: class participation (30 %), a book-review or an annotated bibliography (30 %), and a policy paper (40 %). Class Participation Students are expected to do some careful thinking about the texts and emerging issues before class. To encourage active participation, all seminar members (including auditors) will take turns at introducing the day's readings and facilitating the discussion at different times during the semester. At the beginning of each session, discussion leaders will briefly evaluate the readings (their strengths and limitations, the key issues, . . . ) and propose an agenda for discussion, which the class may add to or modify. Some brief summary of the material in the required readings may be appropriate, but not an extended or elaborate recapitulation of what readings already say in detail. The assumption is that everyone in the class has read all of the required readings. Class participation also includes brief, written responses to hand-on class-related exercises or projects. Book Review OR Annotated Bibliography (3-5 double-spaced, type-written pages). Due in class on March 17 Option 1: Annotated Bibliography Identify six additional readings for any one major topic from the syllabus and write an annotation. Annotations are intended to take you one step beyond photo copying a source and underlining key words and passages, to write your own summary, critique and questions. It differs from the typical abstract accompanying most journal articles or back-cover book reviews in that it is evaluative rather than descriptive --you are examining the text in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of its argument, documentation, organization, and coherence. The challenge of this assignment is to do this in a couple of paragraphs (c. 200 words) per entry/item. Begin by briefly indicating the subject matter, where the title alone is not self-explanatory. Outline the argument(s) and summarize major findings or conclusions. Comment on the nature and/or quality of the evidence. Identify any gaps or inconsistencies in the argument. Specify the audience for which the text is best suited. Option 2: Book Review This assignment represents an opportunity to read a full-length treatment of a topic or issue of your interest. It is also an exercise in critical writing, without the length constraints of the annotation. The central task of a review is to make an analysis of where the work fits in the field and to assess the effectiveness of its arguments or claims. There is no required format but, if you are having trouble getting started, here are some suggestions: Begin by assessing the current state of the field, the key debates the book addresses or major studies it responds to. Then, briefly summarize the author's argument and main findings or conclusions. Next, identify the reasons provided in support of his or her`argument and critically evaluate the quality of the evidence: Is it convincing? Can different conclusions be drawn from the evidence? In evaluating the evidence, you will also want to consider whether any significant information is omitted. Finally, note any beliefs or assumptions that are not explicitly stated by the author but which are an important part of the argument. Policy Paper (8-10 double-spaced, type-written pages) . Due in class on May 12. The policy paper will be an opportunity to analyze a contemporary or historical policy issue or debate of interest to you. You are to: (1) summarize the theory underlying the policy; (2) critically evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of the policy; and (3) take a stand on this issue (i.e., state your own point of view and make your own recommendations). Based on your analysis, would you say that this policy/issue involves re-thinking fundamental assumptions about gender, work and employment policy?: What are the competing visions?, who are the key players?, who benefits from the implementation of this particular policy?, would you call this policy progressive?, why or why not?, how are these perspectives bound by historical time? Course Schedule February 3 - Introduction and Overview -- Missing Persons: The invisibility of women and families in the analysis of human behavior. February 8 - The Feminization of the Labor Force Required: Bakker, I. (1988). Women's employment in comparative perspective. In Jenson, J., Hagen, E. & Reddy, C. (Eds.), Feminization of the labor force: Paradoxes and promises (Chapter 2). New York: Oxford University Press. Pearce, D.M. (1978). The feminization of poverty: Women, work and welfare. Urban Social Change, 11 (1-2), 28-36. Recommended: Blau, F. & Ferber, M. (1992). Women's work, women's lives: A comparative economic perspective. In Kahne, H. & Giele, J. Z. (Eds.), Women's work and women's lives: The continuing struggle worldwide (Chapter 2). Boulder, CO: Westview Press, Inc. February 12 - Women and Work in the Developing World Required: Stitcher, S. (1990). Women, employment and the family: Current debates. In S. Stitcher and J. L. Parpart (Eds.), Women, employment and the family in the international division of labour (Chapter 1). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Recommended: Lynch, R. (1989). Gender and labor market theories: A review. In Hart, K. (Ed.), Women and the sexual division of labor in the Caribbean. Kingston, Jamaica: Consortium Graduate School of Social Sciences. February 15 - No Class. Presidents Day. February 18 (Monday schedule of classes held) -The economic context: Women and families in the United States Required: Albelda, R. & Tilly, C. (1997). Glass ceilings and bottomless pits: Women's work, women's poverty. Boston: South End Press. (Chapters One through Five). Recommended: Danziger, S. & Gottschalk, P. (1995). America Unequal. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (Chapter One). February 17 -The economic context, Continued Required: Bergman, B. (1986). "Women's place" in the labor market. In B. Bergman, The economic emergence of women. New York: Basic Books. February 22 - Inequality at Work: Sex Differences in Occupation and Earnings Required: Corcoran, M. E. & Courant, P. N. (1995/1987). Sex-role socialization and occupational segregation: An exploratory investigation. In J. Humphries (Ed.), Gender and Economics (Chapter 26). Brookfield, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing Company. Hanson, S. & Pratt, G. (1995). Employer practices, local labor markets and occupational segregation. In S. Hanson & G. Pratt, Gender, Work and Space (Chapter 6). New York: Routledge. Recommended: Bergman, B. (1986). Why are women's wages low? In B. Bergman, The economic emergence of women. New York: Basic Books. Duncan, G. & Corcoran, M. (1984). Do women "deserve" to earn less than men? In G. Duncan, Years of Poverty, Years of Plenty. Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. Marini, M. M. (1989). Sex differences in earnings in the U.S. Annual Review of Sociology, 15, 343-380. February 24 - (Inequality at Work, Cont'd.) Required: Tomaskovic-Devey, D. (1993). Segregation, inequality and discrimination; Extent of sex and racial segregation; and Do people choose segregated jobs? In D. Tomaskovic-Devey, Gender and racial inequality at work: The sources and consequences of job segregation (Chapters 1, 2 and 3). Ithaca, NY: ILR Press. Recommended: Badgett, M. V. L. (1995). The wage effects of sexual orientation discrimination. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48 (July), 726-739. England, P. (1988). Economic views of employment discrimination: A review and critique [Working Paper No. 8801, University of Texas -Dallas]. Paper prepared for the Economics Panel, Conference on the Origins and Consequences of Social Prejudice, State University of New York at Buffalo, March 17-18. Reskin, B. (1997). Sex segregation in the workplace. In D. Dunn, Workplace/Women's place: An anthology. Los Angeles: Roxbury. March 1 - Gender and Social Policy in the United States Required: Nelson, B. (1990). The origins of the two-channel welfare state: Workmen's compensation and Mother's aid. In L. Gordon (Ed.), Women, the State and Welfare (Chapter 5). Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. Sapiro, V. (1990). The gender basis of American social policy. In L. Gordon (Ed.), Women, the State and Welfare (Chapter 2). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Recommended: Rose, N. E. (1995). The 1960s: The flowering of government work programs. In N. Rose, Workfare or Fair Work: Women, Welfare and Government Work Programs (Chapter 4). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. March 10 - Changing family forms, gender roles and the structure of work Required: Blau, F. D. & Ferber, M. A. (1986). Women and men: Changing roles in a changing economy. In F. D. Blau & M. A. Ferber, The economics of women, men and work. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Chafetz, J. S. (1997). "I need a (traditional) wife!": Employment-family conflicts. In D. Dunn (Ed.), Workplace/Women's place: An anthology. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Recommended: Wilson, W. J. (1996). Ghetto-related behavior and the structure of opportunity and A methodological note on the research at the Center for the Study of Urban Inequality. In W. J. Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor (Chapter 3 and Appendix B). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. March 8 - Dynamics of Welfare Use Required: Bane, M. J. & Ellwood, D. T. (1994). Understanding welfare dynamics. In M. J. Bane & D. T. Ellwood, Welfare Realities: From Rhetoric to Reform (Chapter 2). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Harris, K. M. (1996). Life after welfare: Women, work and repeat dependency. American Sociological Review, 61 (June), 407-426. Recommended: Edin, K. & Lein, L. (1997). Making ends meet: How single mothers survive welfare and low-wage work. New York: Russell Sage. Harris, K. M. (1993). Work and welfare among single mothers in poverty. American Journal of Sociology, 99, 317-352. Harris, K. M. (1997). Teen mothers and the revolving welfare door. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. March 10 - (Dynamics of Welfare Use, Cont'd.) Required: Oliker, S. J. (1994, August). Proximate contexts and workfare outcomes: A framework for studying poor women's economic choices. Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, California. March 15 - The Changing Structure of the U.S. Labor Force. The case of African American women and Latinas. Required: Corcoran, M. E. & Parrott, S. (1992). Black women's economic progress. Unpublished manuscript, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Tienda, M, Jensen, L. & Bach, R. L. (1985). Immigration, gender and the process of occupational change in the United States, 1970-1980. International Migration Review, 18 (4), 1021-1044. Recommended: Corcoran, M. E., Heflin, C. & Reyes, B. I. (1996, April). Latinas in the U.S.: The economic progress of Mexican and Puerto Rican women. Paper presented at the Russell Sage Foundation Conference on Race, Gender and Economic Inequality: African American and Latino Women in the Labor Market, New York City. March 17 - (The changing structure of the U.S. labor force, Cont'd.) Required: King, Mary C. (1993, December). An assessment of three (somewhat) comprehensive explanations for Black women's recent breakthrough into clerical work. Paper prepared for presentation at the Allied Social Sciences Association Meetings in Boston, January 5, 1994. Recommended: Browne, I. (1997). The black-white gap in labor force participation among women. American Sociological Review, 62 (2) (April), 236-252. March 22, 24 - SPRING BREAK March 29 - The Impact of Industrial Restructuring On the Kinds of Work Women Do Required: Badgett, M. V. L. & Williams, R. M. (1993). The changing contours of discrimination: Race, gender and structural economic change. Unpublished manuscript, University of Maryland, College Park. Kuhn, S. & Bluestone, B. (1987). Economic restructuring and the female labor market: The impact of industrial change on women. In L. Benería & C. R. Stimpson (Eds.), Women, households and the economy (Chapter 1). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. March 31 - The Growth of Part-Time Employment and Workers With Temporary Contracts Required: Grant, L. (1991). Introduction. In L. Grant, Part-time work: Women count the cost. Great Britain: Wycrow (University of Bradford). Hewitt, P. (1993). Flexible working: Asset or cost? Policy Studies, 14 (3) (Autumn), 18-28. Kornbluh, J. L. (1988). Historical perspectives on part-time and temporary workers . In U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, Flexible workstyles: A look at contingent labor. Conference Summary. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. April 5 - Contingent Work: Who Benefits? Required: Negrey, C. (1993). The best of both worlds? and The promise and limits of reduced work. In C. Negrey, Gender, Time and Reduced Work (Chapters 1 & 2). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Pearce, D. M. (1987). On the edge: Marginal women workers and employment policy. In C. Bose & G. Spitze (Eds.), Ingredients For Women's Employment Policy (Chapter 10). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Recommended: Phizacklea, A. & Wolkowitz, C. (1995). Homeworking and women's employment trends. In A. Phizacklea & C. Wolkowitz, Homeworking Women: Gender, Racism and Class at Work (Chapter 1). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. April 7 - Women, Work and the Life Course Required: Blau, F. D. & Ferber, M. A. (1986). The consequences of women's employment for the family. In F. D. Blau & M. A. Ferber, The Economics of Men, Women and Work (Chapter 5). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Sidel, R. (1986). The impact of poverty on health and well-being & The special plight of older women. In R. Sidel, Women and Children Last: The Plight of Poor Women in Affluent America (Chapters 7 & 8). New York: Penguin Books. Recommended: Spain, D. & Bianchi, S. M. (1996). Combining employment and family. In D. Spain & S. M. Bianchi, Balancing Act: Motherhood, Marriage and Employment Among American Women. New York: Russell Sage. April 12 - Dependent Care: Individual Responsibility or Workers' Right? Required: Casper, L. M. (1994). Who's minding our preschoolers? Fall Update. Current Population Report, Series P 70-62. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/childcare.html> Hofferth, S. L. & Wissoker, D. A. (1991). Price, quality and income in child care choice. The Journal of Human Resources, 27 (1), 70-111. Recommended: Garfinkel, I. , Meyer, D. & Wong, P. (1990). The potential of child care tax credits to reduce poverty and welfare dependency. Population Research and Policy Review, 9, 45-63. Joffee, C. (1983) Why the United States has no childcare policy. In I. Diamond (Ed.), Families, politics and public policy. New York: Longman. Robins, P. (1988). Child care and convenience: The effects of labor market entry costs on economic self-sufficiency among public housing residents. Social Science Quarterly, 69 (1) (March), 122-136. April 14 - (Dependent Care, Cont'd.) Required: Kimmel, J. (1992, December). Child care and the employment behavior of single and married mothers (Staff Working Paper No. 92-14). Kalamazoo, MI: The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Recommended: Hurst, M. & Zambrana, R. (1982). Child care and working mothers in Puerto Rican families. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 461 (May), 113-124. Feinstein, K. W. (1979). Directions for day care. In K. W. Feinstein, Working women and families. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications. April 19 - Patriots Day April 21 - Policy Issues: Welfare Reform Required: Albelda, R. & Tilly, C. (1997). Glass ceilings and bottomless pits: Women's work, women's poverty. Boston: South End Press. (Chapters Six and Seven) Edin, K. (1995). The myth of dependence and self-sufficiency: Women, welfare and low-wage work. In FOCUS, the Newsletter of the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Newman, K. (1995). What inner-city jobs for welfare moms? The New York Times, May 20th. Recommended: Dodson, L., Joshi, P. & McDonald, D. (1998). Welfare in transition: Consequences for women, families and communities. Cambridge, MA: Radcliffe Policy Institute, October. Danziger, S. K. et al. (1999, January). Barriers to the employment of welfare recipients. Unpublished Manuscript, The University of Michigan, Poverty Research Center. Johnson, J. (1997, January). Low wages, lousy jobs and instability: Why work hasn't replaced welfare in Massachusetts. Unpublished manuscript, MIT Department of Urban Studies & Planning, Cambridge. April 26 - Policies & Strategies: Family Policies Required: Lewis, J. & Astrom, G. (1992). Equality, difference and state welfare: Labor market and policies in Sweden. Feminist Studies, 18 (1) (Spring), 59-87.. Moen, P. (1989). The social and theoretical context. In P. Moen, Working Parents: Transformations in Gender Roles and Public Policies in Sweden. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. April 28 - Gender, the Law and Employment Policy Required: Kirp, D. L., Yudof, M. G. & Franks, M. S. (1986). Gender policy and the marketplace. In D. L. Kirp, M. G. Yudof & M. S. Franks, Gender Justice (Chapter 7). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Recommended: MacKinnon, C. A. (1979). Sexual harassment as sex discrimination. In C. MacKinnon, Sexual Harassment of Working Women: A Case of Sex Discrimination. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. May 3 - Policies & Strategies: Comparable Worth Required: Blum, L. (1991). Tough politics: The comparable worth movement in San Jose & No fingerprints: The comparable worth movement in Contra Costa County. In L. M. Blum, Between Feminism and Labor: The Significance of the Comparable Worth Movement (Chapters 3 & 4). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. England, P. (1992). Policy debates. In P. England, Comparable Worth: Theories and Evidence (Chapter 7). New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Recommended: Gunderson, M. (1994). Introduction; Scope and actual impact of different policy initiatives; & Summary and concluding observations. In M. Gunderson, Comparable Worth and Gender Discrimination: An International Perspective (Chapters 1, 3 & 13). Geneva: International Labour Office. May 5 - Policies and Strategies: Affirmative Action Required: Bergman, B. (1986). Fighting discrimination through affirmative action. In B. Bergman, The economic emergence of women. New York: Basic Books. (Chapter 7) Goodman, E. (1994). Opening the work door for women. In N. Mills (Ed.), Debating Affirmative Action: Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and the Politics of Inclusion (pp. 100-103). New York: Delta Trade Paperbacks. Quindlen, A. (1994). The great white myth. In N. Mills (Ed.), Debating Affirmative Action: Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and the Politics of Inclusion (pp. 211-213). New York: Delta Trade Paperback. Recommended: Bergmann, B. (1996). In defense of Affirmative Action. New York: Basic Books. Simon, R. J. (1996). Affirmative Action: From Data to Public Policy. New YorK University Press of America. Steinberg, S. (1996). Turning Back: The Retreat from Racial Justice in American Thought and Policy. Boston: Beacon Press. Webb, J. & Liff, S. (1988). Play the White man: The social construction of fairness and competition in equal opportunity policies. The Sociological Review, 36 (August), 532-551. May 10 - Other Policies and Strategies: Fetal Protection Required: Samuels, S. U. (1995). Fetal protection policies and gender equality & Gender discrimination, past and present: State protective laws, the ERA and the male-only draft. In S. U. Samuels, Fetal Rights, Women's Rights: Gender Equality in the Workplace (Chapters 1 & 3). Madison, WI: University f Wisconsin Press. Case Studies: Katz, J. F. (1989). Hazardous working conditions and fetal protection policies: Women are going ack to the future. Boston College Environmental Affairs Review, 17 (Fall), 201-230. Quinn, J. F. (1988). Business ethics, fetal protection policies, and discrimination against women in the workplace. Business & Profesional Ethics Journal, 7 (Fall/Winter), 3-27 Sprotzer, I. & Goldberg, I. V. (1992). Fetal protection: Law, ethics and corporate policy. Journal of Busines Ethics, 11, 731-735. Recommended: Brady, T. (1994). The legal status of sex-specific fetal protection policies (Supreme Court case involving Johnson Controls, Inc.). NWSA Journal, 6 (Fall), 468-474. Hukill, C. (1990). Fetal protection (UAW v. Johnson Controls, Inc.). Monthly Labor Review, 113 (March), 59-60. Gilbert, A. (1994). Third world cities: Poverty, employment, gender roles, and the environment during a time of restructuring. Urban Studies, 31 (May), 605-633. May 12 - Wrapping Up: Ingredients for Women's Employment Policy. Policy Paper Due.

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