Independence and dependency: Options and constraints for women over the life course

In western countries, social policies emerged to compensate impacts which result from an unequal distribution of bargaining power in modern market economies. Thus, they provide some options to avoid disadvantageous working conditions. However, by counteracting unequal bargaining situations, social p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women's studies international forum 1994-03, Vol.17 (2), p.129-139
Main Author: Ostner, Ilona
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autonomy
Dependency (Psychology)
Discrimination
Europe
Mothers
Policy
Sex Role Attitudes
Social Inequality
Social Policy
Welfare State
Western Society
Women
Women workers
Womens Roles
Work-Family roles
Working Women
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Summary:In western countries, social policies emerged to compensate impacts which result from an unequal distribution of bargaining power in modern market economies. Thus, they provide some options to avoid disadvantageous working conditions. However, by counteracting unequal bargaining situations, social policies produce new inequalities. In all western societies, social policies tend to treat women as workers of a special kind. Some treat women as individuals and citizens; others primarily as mothers or wives, as different but equal, or, in contrast, along the principle of “sameness.” In each case, women's life chances, their life course, and the relationship between independence and dependency are affected in a peculiar way. This article examines the relationship between independence and dependence built into various welfare regimes from a woman's point of view: Which regime helps best to combine both—a family and paid work?
ISSN:0277-5395
1879-243X
DOI:10.1016/0277-5395(94)90020-5