Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work
The prevailing understanding of work as paid work is reflected in political efforts to achieve gender equality, which include emphasising that women, like men, should increasingly pursue paid work. This exploratory research aims to question whether this idea to align female with male life patterns i...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/4/218 |
| _version_ | 1827743655739260928 |
|---|---|
| author | Sarah Madörin Sofia Jacinto |
| author_facet | Sarah Madörin Sofia Jacinto |
| author_sort | Sarah Madörin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The prevailing understanding of work as paid work is reflected in political efforts to achieve gender equality, which include emphasising that women, like men, should increasingly pursue paid work. This exploratory research aims to question whether this idea to align female with male life patterns is conducive to gender equality and to promote new insights based on mothers’ experiences. Our analysis is based on guided interviews with eight Swiss mothers in part-time employment who have at least one child aged three or older, and a working partner in the same household. The interviews show that these mothers do not share the expectation that all mothers should take on the main responsibility for domestic and care work, nor the expectation that all women should be doing full-time paid work. They would like to see greater acceptance and appreciation of different forms of work. This research concludes that gender justice can be understood as a freedom of choice that includes both the right to be doing paid work and the right to have time for domestic and care work—for men and women. Gender equality efforts do not have to be restricted to one form of work, but can leave room for different types of work and the appreciation of them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:32:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f58587c6c59949d194fdaeae0fba14ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:32:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f58587c6c59949d194fdaeae0fba14ec2023-11-17T21:21:58ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602023-04-0112421810.3390/socsci12040218Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on WorkSarah Madörin0Sofia Jacinto1School of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, 4600 Olten, SwitzerlandSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, 4600 Olten, SwitzerlandThe prevailing understanding of work as paid work is reflected in political efforts to achieve gender equality, which include emphasising that women, like men, should increasingly pursue paid work. This exploratory research aims to question whether this idea to align female with male life patterns is conducive to gender equality and to promote new insights based on mothers’ experiences. Our analysis is based on guided interviews with eight Swiss mothers in part-time employment who have at least one child aged three or older, and a working partner in the same household. The interviews show that these mothers do not share the expectation that all mothers should take on the main responsibility for domestic and care work, nor the expectation that all women should be doing full-time paid work. They would like to see greater acceptance and appreciation of different forms of work. This research concludes that gender justice can be understood as a freedom of choice that includes both the right to be doing paid work and the right to have time for domestic and care work—for men and women. Gender equality efforts do not have to be restricted to one form of work, but can leave room for different types of work and the appreciation of them.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/4/218paid workunpaid workdomestic workcare workgender equalityfeminism |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Madörin Sofia Jacinto Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work Social Sciences paid work unpaid work domestic work care work gender equality feminism |
| title | Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work |
| title_full | Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work |
| title_fullStr | Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work |
| title_full_unstemmed | Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work |
| title_short | Achieving Gender Equality through Paid and Unpaid Work: An Exploration of Mothers’ Perspectives on Work |
| title_sort | achieving gender equality through paid and unpaid work an exploration of mothers perspectives on work |
| topic | paid work unpaid work domestic work care work gender equality feminism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/4/218 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sarahmadorin achievinggenderequalitythroughpaidandunpaidworkanexplorationofmothersperspectivesonwork AT sofiajacinto achievinggenderequalitythroughpaidandunpaidworkanexplorationofmothersperspectivesonwork |