Routledge Ordering Lives: Family, Work and Welfare (Understanding Social Change)

Taking as its focus three familiar and profoundly influential social institutions, the family, work and welfare, this accessible and exciting text looks at their role in maintaining social order and promoting social change in Britain from the 1950's to the beginning of the twenty first century. It shows how everyday life within these institutions is marked by the exercise of power and resistance and it charts the ways in which wider social change has affected these processes. Ordering Lives: Family, Work and Welfare engages with some of the most pressing issues affecting our society in a lively yet academically rigorous manner. At the same time, it offers students of the social sciences a crucial first introduction to the way that theory is used in social science explanations of social relations and institutional arrangements. This is a key introductory text for all students beginning study in sociology, social policy or general social sciences. Does it any longer make sense to talk about a "welfare state" in today's UK? From the Publisher The social sciences are currently going through a period of acute upheaval as they struggle to come to terms with the pace of social change at the beginning of a new century. The five 2nd editions of the Routledge/Open University series Understanding Social Change form part of a bold and innovative educational project. Written in conjunction with the Open University foundation course in the social sciences, they offer students beginning study in this area access to fresh perspectives and new ways of explaining the changes they see around them every day. Each book is designed to give the greatest possible support to students' learning - whether alone or in groups. Key text features include: * activities with comments* short, stop and think questions* marginal notes of key concepts* reading extracts and newspaper extracts* boxed case studies* bullet point summaries* annotated further reading* photos, maps and cartoons. About the Author The Open University, UK