How do women fare in a society that is characterized by a set of institutions that promote income stability over the life course and thereby maintain and even amplify status difference? Using recently issued public files of social security records with longitudinal earnings data of well over half a million persons, this book describes gender inequality in earnings and labor market participation in contemporary Germany between 1975 and 1995. Because of the advanced industrial base of Germany, its relevance to other nations at the high end of production and consumer indices becomes apparent. Br�ckner's work is a unique combination of empirical and theoretical work. She takes seriously the effect of marriage status on labor supply and wages: married men work more and earn more, while married women work less and earn less. But to this rather conventional measure she introduces a second important consideration: the life course, multiple social contexts that help explain the unfolding of social action and economic status. In this way the family becomes a critical factor in explaining such crucial sources of inequality as tax laws, property transference, and transfer payments--and how these are regulated by the welfare state. The results from a life course analysis are contrasted with cross-sectional trends and a traditional lifecycle model to show that much depends in part on the data and methods used to explore it. The work closes with a solid social scientific analysis of systems choices: the private market in contrast to the social democratic welfare state solution. While recognizing that the latter is a direct effort at resolving the gender gap in wages and welfare, Professor Br�ckner also appreciates that there are high costs to the overall economy, not the least being a taxation that erodes the earning power of families and individuals as a whole, and hence is less of a solution than the spreading of the problem.

How do women fare in a society that is characterized by a set of institutions that promote income stability over the life course and thereby maintain and even amplify status difference? Using recently issued public files of social security records with longitudinal earnings data of well over half a million persons, this book describes gender inequality in earnings and labor market participation in contemporary Germany between 1975 and 1995. Because of the advanced industrial base of Germany, its relevance to other nations at the high end of production and consumer indices becomes apparent. Brückner's work is a unique combination of empirical and theoretical work. She takes seriously the effect of marriage status on labor supply and wages: married men work more and earn more, while married women work less and earn less. But to this rather conventional measure she introduces a second important consideration: the life course, multiple social contexts that help explain the unfolding of social action and economic status. In this way the family becomes a critical factor in explaining such crucial sources of inequality as tax laws, property transference, and transfer payments--and how these are regulated by the welfare state. The results from a life course analysis are contrasted with cross-sectional trends and a traditional lifecycle model to show that much depends in part on the data and methods used to explore it. The work closes with a solid social scientific analysis of systems choices: the private market in contrast to the social democratic welfare state solution. While recognizing that the latter is a direct effort at resolving the gender gap in wages and welfare, Professor Brückner also appreciates that there are high costs to the overall economy, not the least being a taxation that erodes the earning power of families and individuals as a whole, and hence is less of a solution than the spreading of the problem.

A dynamic and contextualized account of the processes and mechanisms underlying gendered career decisions and attainment across the life course.

Drawing upon perspectives from across the globe and employing an interdisciplinary life course approach, this handbook explores the production and reproduction of different types of inequality across a variety of social contexts. Inequalities are not static, easily measurable, and essentially quantifiable circumstances of life. They are processes which impact on individuals throughout the life course, interacting with each other, accumulating, attenuating, reproducing, or distorting themselves along the way. The chapters in this handbook examine various types of inequality, such as economic, gender, racial, and ethnic inequalities, and analyse how these inequalities manifest themselves within different aspects of society, including health, education, and the family, at multiple levels and dimensions. The handbook also tackles the global COVID-19 pandemic and its striking impact on the production and intensification of inequalities. The interdisciplinary life course approach utilised in this handbook combines quantitative and qualitative methods to bridge the gap between theory and practice and offer strategies and principles for identifying and tackling issues of inequality. This book will be indispensable for students and researchers as well as activists and policy makers interested in understanding and eradicating the processes of production, reproduction, and perpetuation of inequalities.

Gender equality has been one of the defining projects of European welfarestates. It has proven an elusive goal, not just because of political opposition but also due to a lack of clarity in how to best frame equality and take account of family-related considerations. This wide-ranging book assembles the most pertinent literature and evidence to provide a critical understanding of how contemporary state policies engage with gender inequalities.

Age, Gender and Sexuality through the Life Course argues that the gendered structure of temporality (defined in the dual sense of everyday time as well as age and stage of life) is a key factor underpinning the stalling of the gender revolution. Taking as its central focus the idealised young woman who serves as the mascot of contemporary success, this book demonstrates how the celebration of the Girl is (i) representative of social mobility, educational and professional achievement; (ii) possesses diligence, docility and emotional intelligence, and (iii) displays a reassuring sexuality and youthfulness – but is constructed from the outset to have a fleetingly short life span. Pickard undertakes a theoretical and empirical exploration of the contemporary female experience of education, work, motherhood, sexuality, the challenge of having-it-all. Furthermore, through additional analysis of the transitional ‘reproductive regime’ from youth into mid-life and beyond, this insightful monograph aims to demonstrate how age and time set very clear limits to what is possible and desirable for the female self; yet how the latter factors also, if used reflexively, can provide the key means of resisting and challenging patriarchy. This book is aimed at a broad interdisciplinary audience located in gender studies, age studies, culture studies, sociology and psychology; accessible for advanced undergraduates and beyond.

This volume of original chapters is designed to bring attention to a neglected area of feminist scholarship - aging. After several decades of feminist studies we are now well informed of the complex ways that gender shapes the lives of women and men. Similarly, we know more about how gendered power relations interface with race and ethnicity, class and sexual orientation. Serious theorizing of old age and age relations to gender represents the next frontier of feminist scholarship. In this volume, leading national and international feminist scholars of aging take first steps in this direction, illuminating how age relations interact with other social inequalities, particularly gender. In doing so, the authors challenge and transform feminist scholarship and many taken for granted concepts in gender studies.

'This state-of-the art collection brings together the latest research of eminent experts in the field. It combines a wide sweep with focused analysis of gender dynamics at home and at work, and the interaction between them. A longitudinal and life course perspective underpins the authors' assessment of the current state of gender inequality, and helps explain why some domains are more resistant to change than others. This timely and innovative volume will be an excellent resource for academics and policy-makers alike.' – Miriam Glucksmann, University of Essex, UK This meticulous book examines how gender inequalities in contemporary societies are changing and how further changes towards greater gender equality might be achieved. The focus of the book is on inequalities in production and reproductive activities, as played out over time and in specific contexts. It examines the different forms that gendered lives take in the household and the workplace, and explores how gender equalities may be promoted in a changing world. Gendered Lives offers many novel and sometimes unexpected findings that contribute to new understandings of not only the causes of gender inequalities, but also the ongoing implications for economic well-being and societal integration. This topical and interdisciplinary study by leading researchers in the field will appeal to course leaders, researchers and postgraduate students in sociology, economics, public policy, demography and human geography. Social scientists interested in gender equality, labour market behaviour and public policy will also find much to interest them in this fascinating book.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence Gendering Women is an engaging and accessible account of how constructions of femininity fundamentally affect women's mental wellbeing through the life course. Led by women’s life history accounts of growing up and growing older in the north of England, this book shows how experiences of becoming and being a woman – in family life, education, employment, motherhood and situations of violence – both enable and erode self confidence and esteem. The challenges to women’s mental wellbeing cut across age and class differences and have profound impacts on the material conditions of women’s lives throughout the life course. This is in turn a driver of inequality that is often under-recognised in mainstream policy. Based on feminist and ethnographically informed research with over five hundred women Gendering women provides a critical link between gender theory and the lived realities of women’s daily lives and will appeal to students and academics in sociology and social sciences.

This paper considers various dimensions and sources of gender inequality and presents policies and best practices to address these. With women accounting for fifty percent of the global population, inclusive growth can only be achieved if it promotes gender equality. Despite recent progress, gender gaps remain across all stages of life, including before birth, and negatively impact health, education, and economic outcomes for women. The roadmap to gender equality has to rely on legal framework reforms, policies to promote equal access, and efforts to tackle entrenched social norms. These need to be set in the context of arising new trends such as digitalization, climate change, as well as shocks such as pandemics.