| Type of Document |
Master's Thesis |
| Author |
Jacobs, Anna Weller
|
| URN |
etd-01212015-120505 |
| Title |
Hours, Scheduling, and Flexibility for Women in the U.S. Low-Wage Labor Force |
| Degree |
Master of Arts |
| Department |
Sociology |
| Advisory Committee |
| Advisor Name |
Title |
| Daniel B Cornfield |
Committee Co-Chair |
| Larry W Isaac |
Committee Co-Chair |
|
| Keywords |
- low wage
- labor
- women
- work
- scheduling
|
| Date of Defense |
2015-01-20 |
| Availability |
unrestricted |
Abstract
Research on women’s experiences with work schedules and flexibility tend to focus on professional women in high-paying careers, despite women's far greater prevalence in low-wage jobs. This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of the work-hours problems faced by low-wage women relegated to part-time work. We address how work-on-demand scheduling and other features of part-time labor in the neoliberal economy limit women’s ability to make ends meet. Using data from17 in-depth interviews with women precariously employed in low-wage jobs, we identify four themes--unpredictable schedules, inadequate hours, time theft, and punishment-and-control via hours-reduction—and the problems they present. Results suggest that much-championed flexible work policies that seek to encourage women’s career advancement may have little bearing on the work-hours dilemmas faced by low-wage women workers. We conclude that social change efforts need to encompass work policies geared to low-wage workers, such as guaranteed minimum hours and increases in the minimum wage.
|
| Files |
| Filename |
Size |
Approximate Download Time
(Hours:Minutes:Seconds)
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| 28.8 Modem |
56K Modem |
ISDN (64 Kb) |
ISDN (128 Kb) |
Higher-speed Access |
| |
jacobs.pdf |
853.77 Kb |
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