Ailsa McKay

Economic Recession and Recovery in the UK: What's Gender Got to Do with It?

This study argues that a feminist economics perspective is essential in order to fully understand the gender consequences of the recent recession and the ongoing economic crisis in the United Kingdom. Unemployment and redundancy rates have been used to highlight the fact that male workers suffered the greatest impact in terms of job losses in the initial phases of the recession. However, this situation appears to have reversed with an associated program of spending cuts in public sector employment and welfare that will likely be borne by women. While accurate data are crucial in the analytical process, the exclusive use of statistics relating to paid work only gives a partial analysis. A more inclusive understanding of the range of impacts on both men and women is more useful in the formulation of gender-aware, as opposed to gender-blind, policy responses to recession and recovery.

How ‘modern’ is the modern apprenticeship?

Despite the fact that some sectors of industry are facing major skills shortages, the Scottish labour market continues to be characterised by occupational segregation and a large disparity between the wages of women and men. The concentration of individuals in occupations and training based on their gender effectively restricts the pool of potential recruits to industry and is unlikely to make the best use of human capital. Moreover, it obstructs the pursuit of gender equality by reinforcing the gender pay gap and restricting individual career choices. This paper reports on the governments flagship training policy, the Modern Apprenticeship programme, from a gender perspective. It concludes that, ten years on from its introduction, the scheme represents something of a ‘missed opportunity’ to tackle occupational segregation and its deleterious effects in the wider economy and in society at large. It is recommended that the government and organisations involved in the development and delivery of Modern Apprenticeships adopt a more conscious and cohesive approach to promoting non-traditional choices at the vocational level.

Gender and Well-Being in Europe: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, edited by Bernard Harris, Lina Galvez, and Helena Machado. Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2009. 298 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0-7546-7264-7 (hbk.). US

This edited collection represents a rich and varied account of attempts to conceptualize and measure well-being, from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Although multidisciplinary in approach, a common feature throughout the volume is the influence of the work of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, especially that related to the capabilities approach and developing indicators of well-being. Accepting the capabilities approach as a valuable starting point in developing a more inclusive notion of what constitutes individual well-being, the essays in this volume represent a significant contribution to the literature by making explicit the relevance of gender in influencing our beings and doings. Drawing upon a range of relevant empirical evidence, policy case studies, and theoretical constructs, the contributors seek to highlight how the relationship between gender and well-being has, to date, been overlooked in mainstream approaches to the identification and subsequent measurement of indicators of subjective well-being. By bringing together a collection of focused essays that examine more closely the factors that determine our beings and doings across a range of geographical, historical, socioeconomic, and policy-related locations, this edited volume contributes positively to ongoing debates on the conceptualization and measurement of well-being. Collectively, the contributors have succeeded in enhancing the evidence base required in the process of improving understanding of the nature and causes of gender-based inequalities. As a result, they have produced an invaluable resource for those concerned with exploring the relationship between gender and concepts of well-being. The essays in this edited volume are based on a selection of papers presented to an introductory symposium on Gender and Well-Being, hosted at the University of Modena in Italy in 2006 and funded by European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action A34. BOOK REVIEWS