Routledge Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis

No-one can hope to understand the workings of the welfare state without first appreciating women's part in it. In the past decade the significance of the gendering of welfare states has become widely accepted, extensively charted in research, and more systematically theorized. Building on her earlier work, in Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis Gillian Pascall confronts the challenges and outlines the developments that have taken place during the eleven years since its first publication. This new edition also reflects extensive social changes in women's participation at work, educational achievement, security in marriage; and policy changes aimed at producing a mixed economy of welfare, increasing family responsibility in health, community care, housing, education and income security. It examines the changing pattern of welfare provision, with increasing reliance on women's unpaid work, the gendered nature of UK welfare structures, the continuing dependence of women on men's incomes and on welfare benefits, the public/private divide, women's non-citizenship as carers for young and old; and the changing political climate of the 1980's and 1990's. Social Policy: A New Feminist Analysis covers traditional policy areas, which makes it ideal reading for students of health, housing, social security and education as well as courses about women. Review 'Raises issues too often ignored by policy-makers...the extensive analysis conducted here will provide researchers and scholars with a good starting point for further work on gender and the welfare state.' - International Affairs 'Gillian Pascall has successfully brought together a great deal of material, woven an argument and clearly presented the extremely complicated picture of the relationship between women and social policy in Britain ... It is a book to use. Last academic year this book proved itself well as an excellent and provocative student text at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and its analytical power means that its utility will last.' - Journal of Social Policy 'This is a valuable book for both students and those teaching them. It is full of useful detail yet remains a clear straightforward text.' - Housing Studies Vol 13:6 1998 From the Back Cover No one can hope to understand the workings of the welfare state without first appreciating women's part in it. In the past decade, the significance of the gendering of welfare states has become widely accepted, extensively charted in research and more systematically theorized. Building on her earlier work, Social Policy: A Feminist Analysis, Gillian Pascall confronts the challenges and outlines the developments that have taken place during the eleven years since its first publication. This new edition reflects extensive social changes in women's participation at work, educational achievement and security in marriage. It also reflects policy changes aimed at producing a mixed economy of welfare, increasing family responsibility in health, community care, housing, education and income security. It examines the changing pattern of welfare provision, with increasing reliance on women's unpaid work, the gendered nature of UK welfare structures, the continuing dependence of women on men's incomes and on welfare benefits, the public-private divide, women's non-citizenship as carers for young and old, and the changing political climate of the 1980s and 1990s.