Abstract
This article develops a feminist critique of the popular demand to reconcile family and professional work. It exposes the ideological character of the very slogan, as it neglects the unpaid work women provide for their men in families, which at the same time creates competitive advantages of married men in the employment market. Maintaining unpaid work in families thus creates a vicious circle by which women are denied employment opportunities, as well as pushing them into unpaid work in families. The article then analyses legislation that is dedicated to promoting reconciliation of unpaid work in families with paid work, and exposes how legislation such as the provision of unpaid parental leave hinders any change in gender role allocation and thus any progress in substantive equality in employment.
Translated title of the contribution | Reconciliation of family and professional work - reconcilable with equal rights for women? |
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Original language | German |
Pages (from-to) | 511-533 |
Number of pages | 24 |
Journal | Kritische Justiz (Critical Legal Studies) |
Publication status | Published - 1994 |