Special issue on Critical transitions: the (re-)production of gender (in-)equality in the life course

Citation

(2013), "Special issue on Critical transitions: the (re-)production of gender (in-)equality in the life course", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 32 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/edi.2013.03032faa.002

Special issue on Critical transitions: the (re-)production of gender (in-)equality in the life course

Article Type: Call for papers From: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, Volume 32, Issue 6.

Guest Editors:

Brigitte Liebig, Department of Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Switzerland (brigitte.liebig@fhnw.ch)

Rene´ Levy, Institut des sciences sociales, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland (rene.levy@unil.ch)

This special issue of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal is dedicated to new findings on the (re)production of (in-)equality in the life courses of men and women in modern society.

Point of departure

Despite extensive efforts in the last decades at all government levels and in numerous organizations, real equality between women and men has not yet been achieved. The causes of persisting inequality between women and men can be within both institutional and biographic conditions, and – as Arnold van Gennep (1908) has described – in transitions from one structural position in society to another. Especially gender inequalities are often reproduced attransition points during the life course, such as choosing a career, pregnancy, marriage, divorce, the birth of a first child or retirement. We invite contributions that will direct attention to these critical moments of transition from mainly two perspectives,

Decision making over the life course

First, the papers can direct attention to strategic moments as well as ‘‘taboos’’ and challenges of decision making in men’s and women’s lives. Little is known about how gender constructions and genderrelated values interact with basic prevailing structural conditions and translate into individual decisions and action, like company policy on work hours, social infrastructures, gender-typical income structures, or tax and pension legislation.

Institutional and social framing of life courses

Second, contributions can start from the question of how the education system, employment conditions, and factors in the reconciliation of work and care influence and shape life courses today. To what extent do psychological, social, and economic factors or political and company incentive systems influence couples’ decisions about children, housework sharing, or employment? What institutional arrangements make gender-unequal forms of the division of labour seem ‘‘rational’’ and acceptable to men and women? Further, articles might address questions on the relationship between current developments in the global/national labour market and gender relations, such as the consequences of discontinuous work histories and atypical and insecure workforce participation on typical and atypical decisions about the life course.

Papers should reflect on what forms gender equality policies and gender equality activities must take in order to overcome the (re-)production of gender inequalities in the life course, and which strategies and measures have shown emancipatory potential for critical points of transition.

Articles should be submitted in line with the journal’s author guidelines: http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=edi

Submissions should be made through ScholarOne Manuscripts: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/edi

Time frame

1 April 2013: Call for papers30 November 2013: First paper submission30 March 2014: Completion of articlesAutumn 2014: Publication