Women's paid and unpaid work and pregnancy outcome: a discussion of some open questions

Empirical results in the last 20 years have shown that employed women, on the whole, have a better perinatal outcome than full-time housewives. The possible reasons for this difference are presented and discussed Despite the consistency of the data, current thinking in this area is still influenced...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health Promotion (Oxford) 1989, Vol.4 (1), p.31-41
Main Author: ROMITO, PATRIZIA
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Debate
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Empirical results in the last 20 years have shown that employed women, on the whole, have a better perinatal outcome than full-time housewives. The possible reasons for this difference are presented and discussed Despite the consistency of the data, current thinking in this area is still influenced by the idea that being outside the labour market may represent a protective factor in pregnancy. The obvious resistance, on the part of researchers, to fully acknowledging results based on empirical data indicates the persistence of the prejudice that sees housewives as women who do not work. The fact of the matter is that they work full-time, often in poor conditions, and without a salary. The possible consequences of this prejudice for perinatal health are outlined.
ISSN:0957-4824
0268-1099
1460-2245
DOI:10.1093/heapro/4.1.31