ABSTRACT
Introduction In Chapters 2 and 3 we examined employment at a macrolevel. In Chapter 2 we outlined employment trends among diverse social groups and demonstrated that when considered as discrete categories, there are discernible patterns of unequal outcomes among women, minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people and lesbians and gay men. In Chapter 3, we sought to explain these phenomena using a range of theoretical and critical perspectives. In this chapter, we shift the focus to the level of the organization – the microlevel. Here, we seek to understand the nature of the organization itself and how it contributes to reproducing and reinforcing traditional patterns of disadvantage.
