ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the broad outline of British employment trends. These trends have been accompanied by increasing social exclusion and polarisation – that is, the widening of the gap between the poorest and the better-off members of society. Women’s employment has not only shown a steady increase, but as the levels of their qualifications and employment experiences have improved, an increasing number have begun to move into higher-level jobs. This trend has contributed to a growing gap between ‘employment-rich’ and ‘employment poor’ households – and in the case of the latter, neither adult may be in employment. ‘Employment rich’ households, it will be suggested, have played their part in generating ‘nonstandard’ employment in Britain. The crumbling of the social settlement in Britain, and the growth of employment flexibility and non-standard employment were associated with a political swing in a neo-liberal direction and a corresponding emphasis upon the ‘marketisation’ of society.
