ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of 'gendered jobs' in relation to women's employment in the Northern Ireland retail trade and examines the implication of this for the contemporary employment of women. It also examines the changes which have taken place in the organization of work in Northern Ireland retailing since the 1960s. The chapter considers the growth of female employment, the idea of 'gendered jobs' in retailing and attempts to answer the question as to why women came to dominate part-time retail employment. It describes the structure of female employment in the Northern Ireland retail trade and argues that the industry exhibits a dual career structure. It reviews the theoretical implications of the data for the concept of gendered jobs and outlines the main policy issues of relevance to female retail workers. The widespread use of informal sources of recruitment by employers particularly large retail employers — should give cause for concern within the context of equal opportunity policy.
