Making and Breaking Gender Inequalities in Work: (ILERA Publication series)

This timely book expertly analyses the persistence of gender inequalities in work. Despite the progress made through frameworks regulating work and employment relations, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated gender divides in labour markets. The authors present innovative ways to promote gender equality in a variety of industrial relations systems, welfare state models and labour market sectors. Making and Breaking Gender Inequalities in Work offers a rich, global and comparative study of this critical topic, addressing developments in formal and informal economies in countries with different levels of economic development. Mia Rönnmar and Susan Hayter have carefully selected expert contributors who apply an interdisciplinary approach and combine a range of theories and methodologies to provide fresh insights on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and on how to tackle gender inequalities in areas such as work–life balance, equality law, global value chains and collective bargaining. Illustrating the key issues in the subject, this book is an excellent resource for academic researchers and scholars in the fields of industrial relations, work and employment relations, gender studies and equality, labour and international law. Policymakers and employers’ and workers’ organizations at the national, regional and international levels will also find the analysis informative and enlightening.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword by Marian Baird, Anne-Marie Greene and Gill Kirton xi PART I INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction: making and breaking gender inequalities in work 2 Mia Rönnmar and Susan Hayter PART II GENDER INEQUALITIES IN WORK 2 Workplace flexibility and the dilemmas of family-friendly choice: a new perspective on the puzzling gender inequality in Sweden 11 Anne Grönlund and Charlotta Magnusson 3 Work–family entanglement: drawing lessons from the complex lives of low-income women 33 Ameeta Jaga, Bianca Stumbitz and Susan Lambert 4 Women workers on the frontline and the Coronavirus pandemic 54 Jill Rubery, Isabel Távora, Eva Herman, Abbie Winton and Alejandro Castillo Larrain 5 Women workers during global value chain disruptions 75 Arianna Rossi and Anne Posthuma PART III GOVERNANCE OF WORK 6 The role of equality law in addressing gender inequalities in work and employment relations: experiences from the European Union 97 Mia Rönnmar 7 What’s IR got to do with it? Building gender equality in the post-pandemic future of work 116 Rae Cooper and Talara Lee 8 Collective agreements: advancing a transformation agenda for gender equality? 137 Susan Hayter and Malena Bastida 9 The potential of gender (and intersectional) equality indices: the case of Aotearoa New Zealand’s public service 160 Jane Parker, Noelle Donnelly, Janet Sayers, Patricia Loga and Selu Paea Index 189

About the Author :
Edited by Mia Rönnmar, Professor of Private Law, Faculty of Law, Lund University, Sweden, and Past-President of ILERA and Susan Hayter, Lead Researcher, Industrial and Employment Relations, International Labour Organization (ILO)

Review :
‘This timely volume brings together leading feminist scholars to analyze the causes and potential labor governance solutions to persistent patterns of gender inequities in the world of work – inequities that were greatly exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a broad array of case studies across countries and sectors, it makes an important contribution to our understanding of efforts to achieve social justice at work.’ ‘Women’s contribution to sustaining societies and economies is more important than ever. As governments grapple with economic and social crises, as populations age and workforces feminize, as care needs for children, the elderly and those with a disability grow, questions about how best to respond to these challenges are ever present. This book provides thorough research, analyses and reflections that are made for the times. The chapters span gender and work concerns in the Global South and North, the measurement of gender inequalities and the important role of employment relations institutions in bringing about a better future for working women.’ ‘This book provides an extremely insightful comparative analysis of persistent gender inequalities across the globe with contributions from teams of leading scholars. Especially noteworthy is the book’s examination of how COVID-19 increased inequalities while revealing the limits of current remedial policies. While there have been modest gains through measures such as gender equality collective bargaining and various legislative initiatives, the book pointedly shows how much more needs to be done to fully eliminate inequalities and provide broad access to work–life balance. It is a must-read for both researchers and policymakers.’