Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework [Paperback]

Mary K. Zimmerman (Author), Jacquelyn S. Litt (Author), Christine E. Bose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Why are women such prominent workers in the global marketplace? Why do so many perform jobs that involve carework? What political forces have made these women key participants in globalization? What are the consequences for the women themselves, for their families, and for societies and international relations in general?

This book offers a provocative examination of globalization, examining the lives of the women at the center of these new global dynamics. Arguing that society is facing multiple crises of care, the authors develop a new framework for understanding the interplay of globalization, gender, and carework. In four original essays, they examine gender, race, and class inequality; migration, citizenship, and the politics of social control; the evolving meanings of motherhood; and new social definitions of carework and the personal transformation of careworkers. Excerpts from the classic works in the field as well as recent cutting-edge research studies support the examination of each of these growing global crises.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book provides an excellent overview of the complex social forces causing crises in care and the impact of these crises on individuals across the globe. It is a powerful statement and a wonderful teaching resource."—International Journal of Sociology of the Family

"The book is highly readable and a valuable resource for understanding the global hierarchies of inequality."—CHOICE

From the Inside Flap

Why are women such prominent workers in the global marketplace? Why do so many perform jobs that involve carework? What political forces have made these women key participants in globalization? What are the consequences for the women themselves, for their families, and for societies and international relations in general?
This book offers a provocative examination of globalization, examining the lives of the women at the center of these new global dynamics. Arguing that society is facing multiple crises of care, the authors develop a new framework for understanding the interplay of globalization, gender, and carework. In four original essays, they examine gender, race, and class inequality; migration, citizenship, and the politics of social control; the evolving meanings of motherhood; and new social definitions of carework and the personal transformation of careworkers. Excerpts from the classic works in the field as well as recent cutting-edge research studies support the examination of each of these growing global crises.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Stanford Social Sciences; 1 edition (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804753245
• ISBN-13: 978-0804753241
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The world of carework in one book!, April 11, 2007

By 

Lynn May Rivas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework (Paperback)

The editors do an extraordinary job covering a wide spectrum of concepts related to carework, as well as, providing research examples that illustrate those concepts. By using gender as a lens they turn common conceptions of globalization on their head. We might have previously held a romanticized notion of globalization as involving "high profile business travel or video conferencing." However, when we look at the large numbers of women, who represent nearly half of the workers moving around the globe, we are forced to recognize that many of these women are participating in the global redistribution of carework. The editors further reorient our perspective by conceptualizing, not only the family, but also the nation, and the market, as "systems of care." The impact of Globalization on these systems is negative, creating "multiple crises of care."

They cover everything, from the impact of structural adjustment policies on Brazilian childcare policy, to the new conceptions of motherhood created by transnational mothers from the Philippines working as caregivers in Taiwan. This book is a must read. In particular, the editors' essays, which begin each section, should not be missed. Well written they coherently integrate a vast range of thinking, they are a gift to anyone interested in gender, carework, or globalization.

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Research, September 28, 2006

By 

Carmen Caamano - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Global Dimensions of Gender and Carework (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in studying the relationship between gender, globalization, and labor as well as public policies around motherhood and children. The book contains different research papers by feminist scholars dealing with how the capitalist system relies on women to spread out globally. Supranational institutions influence governments around the world to reduce social spending. This generates the use of poor and migrant women to deal with domestic labor and carework, provoking inequality between those women who can pay for it, and those who are hired. This inequality is higher as migrants end up leaving their children at home to take care of someone else's children abroad. The different examples presented of interesting, serious and creative research, are very illustrative of the need for new public policies that put the needs of women and children first as a way to enhance human capital around the world.
Clear, easy to read, it is a must for any scholar engaged in understanding changes in the world economy and gender, and for any activist looking for up to date research to understand how globalization has created more inequality, in particular, for women and children.