ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that gendered citizenship provides a useful framework for evaluating flexible employment and uncovering its negative implications. It argues that there is a need to place research on the gendered nature of flexible employment directly within a gendered citizenship framework in order to understand fully the implications of the growth of this employment. The chapter focuses on the gap between formal employment rights and their realisation in practice. It focuses on the implementation in the United Kingdom of the Equal Opportunities Directives on equal pay and equal treatment for part-time workers. The chapter outlines the European Union (EU) approach to flexibility, the problems with the transposition of EU policy and the legal rights under investigation. It is concerned with specifically with two types of numerical flexibility: contractual flexibility and place of work flexibility. The chapter illustrates the importance of focusing on the specific circumstances of flexible workers and the difficulties they encounter in accessing employment rights.
