ABSTRACT
In 1990 the Working Mothers’ Association in Britain announced: ‘this is the age of the woman returner. For the first time in decades employers are turning their attentions to you’ (WMA, 1990). Certainly an increasing number of British employers appeared to be taking action. A recent study in Newcastle showed that 80 per cent of local employers were taking steps to encourage women back into their employ. They were offering an increasing diversity of retainer and returner schemes and, in the words of Boots Ltd, were ‘constantly coming up with fresh options, new ways to accommodate each different set of needs, circumstances and aspirations’ (WMA, 1990). The Guardian noted too that ‘Companies are offering flexible hours and better conditions to recruit and retain more women workers.’ (Weston, 1990). But why were employers in Britain suddenly showing such interest in women returning to work? There appear to be a number of possible explanations.
