ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces data concerning the proliferation of part-time jobs in which many married women and mothers work. It illustrates that broad changes in the economy and the occupational structure led to the construction and growth of certain part-time jobs that are gender-specific. The chapter examines the element of choice for women workers. It argues that the choices women make about part-time work in a patriarchal and capitalist society importantly reflect the material and ideological constraints of our sex-gender system. The availability of part-time jobs does not fundamentally change women’s subordinate position within the family or the economy. The growth in regular and temporary part-time employment opportunities has been marked: in 1954, the first year for which systematically compiled data on part-time work are available, 15 per cent of all employees in non-agricultural industries worked part time. A significant proportion of the retail sales industry has been accounted for by the proliferation of fast food eating establishments.
