ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author draws together some of the constant themes that have emerged throughout the contributions in relation to ‘women and work’. Service industries are growing and multiplying but the work within these industries differs from that of the heavy industries which grew in the nineteenth century. It is this new pattern which is coming to be the template of modern work organisation. In Britain, overwhelmingly, part-time work is chosen by women to fit in with domestic commitments. As Jeanne Gregory suggests, part-time work could therefore be regarded as a trap for women, which marginalises their position in the labour market, reduces their chances of economic independence and lets men ‘off the hook’ as far as domestic responsibilities are concerned. Equally many women in agricultural areas work part-time both in day-to-day terms and also seasonally, often combining agricultural work with involvement in tourism.
