This innovative book examines changes in family practices and paid work in the 21st century. Focusing on highly qualified mothers who combine childcare with employment, it makes a valuable contribution to current debates. It also takes into account the views of fathers, making it a rounded study of family practice in the new millennium. Hard Labour puts forward some new and thought-provoking arguments about both mothers' and fathers' commitments to parenting and paid work. The first part of the book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and readable overview of the literature on motherhood, fatherhood, family practices, and women in employment. The second part draws on a qualitative study of the lives of twenty mothers and their husbands or partners, each of whom is educated to degree level or above, and has at least one child under five. This study considers key aspects of the family lives of the men and women interviewed, including: How they manage their commitments to one another, their children and their professional work Sharing out family tasks such as childcare and housework At each stage, the empirical research is placed in the context of the literature referenced in the first part, and of the wider debate on career and motherhood. Hard Labour is essential reading for students and academics in sociology, family policy, family studies, women’s or gender studies and the sociology of management/employment.

What is the relationship between women’s reproductive bodies and women’s productive work? How does women’s potential for maternity affect women’s workplace opportunity? How far can women ’choose’ and maintain their own embodied boundaries in relation to work and working practices? This fascinating and topical book evaluates the growing debate on gender, women’s bodies, and work. Through the lens of the body - and from a feminist perspective - Gatrell considers women’s work from two angles, the first conceptualizing the labour of maternity as women’s work, the second exploring the dynamics between women’s bodies and employment. The author suggests that maternity constitutes women’s work, with some women ‘expected’ to produce children, while others are criticised for giving birth. She calls for the re-conceptualization of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding as forms of labour – asserting that mothers are required to perform particular forms of body work in order to comply with ideals of ‘good’ mothering and norms of the workplace. The book observes that these are conflicting requirements, which place irreconcilable demands on women and constrain women’s choice. At the heart of Embodying Women’s Work is the idea that women’s bodies are central to gendered power relations, and remain a negotiated site of power between men and women within late modern society. The book considers women’s bodies in the context of different forms of paid work, discussing how far women remain at an economic disadvantage in comparison with male workers. Embodying Women’s Work is of key interest for students and academics of sociology, social welfare and women’s studies.

Considering part-time study? If so, then this is the book for you! Managing Part-time Study is perfect for the increasing number of students who are considering, or taking, academic courses part-time, whether at postgraduate or undergraduate level. It offers the kind of advice and encouragement that part-time students find difficult to source elsewhere, by recognizing that many of the challenges confronting them are unique to their situation. For example, problems can include the stress of combining study with family or work commitments, alongside pressures caused by studying over a prolonged period. In response to these issues, the book offers part-time students strategies to: Manage their own learning Sustain their motivation and keep going Prioritize the competing demands on their time Anticipate the challenges which they will encounter Managing Part-time Study provides the most appropriate solutions to frequently encountered situations and offers advice and 'real life' experiences from other part-time students. The book draws upon up-to-date research and also upon Caroline Gatrell's own experience both of teaching part-time students, and of being a part-time student herself.

Ebook: Sociology: A Brief Introduction

This book examines the social media experiences of middle class Chinese adolescents. Their enthusiasm for self-expression online, their mediated social relations (guanxi) with family, friends, classmates and colleagues are analysed in the context of China's modernity.

This text examines the changes in family practices and paid work in the 21st century. Its main focus is highly qualified working mothers with very young children, but also takes into account the views of fathers.

Caroline Gatrell argues that a woman's employment is inextricably linked to her gender and that expectations regarding family practices and women's labour have a strong and often negative impact on women's career progress.