1st Edition
The Part-time Paradox Time Norms, Professional Life, Family and Gender
188 Pages
by
Routledge
176 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Today's professionals, especially women, are caught in a time paradox: can they build a career and a family at the same time? The Part-time Paradox explores the conflict and tension between the time demands of career and family life, and the choice of part-time work as a solution. The changing demographics of the family and the work place make it increasingly difficult for both men and women to... Read more
Part I: The Social Meaning of Professional Time 1. Introduction 2. The Social Context of Time Deviance 3. Time and the Practices and Rituals of the Legal Profession Part II: Cultural Perspectives on Part-time Work and Its Consequences 4. Part-Time Work as Deviance: Stigmatization and its Consequences 5. Perspectives on Accommodating Part-Time Work 6. Calculating the Economics of Part-Time Work Part III: Career Issues and Problems in Part-Time Legal Work 7. Mobility 8. Job Security and Insecurity: The Vulnerability of Part-Time Positions 9. Part-Time Status and Rank Discrepancies: Statue Incongruity 10. Commitment and Professional Status 11. Collegiality 12. Justice and Fairness Part IV: The Family and Part-Time Work 13. Parents, Children, Child Care, and the Division of Labor in the Family Part V: Technology 14. Technology and Part-Time Lawyering Part VI 15. Conclusion Part VII: Appendices A. Research Methodology B. Part-Time Work Policies and Issues They Cover C. Tables
Biography
Cynthia Fuchs Epstein is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is Visiting Professor at the Stanford Law School for 1997-98. Carroll Seron is Acting Dean of the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College, CUNY. Bonnie Oglensky and Robert Sauté are at CUNY Graduate Center.
"The Part-time Paradox provides a brilliant portrayal of the discontents of the post-industrial workplace. With insight and passion, it demonstrates that achieving gender equity and family welfare requires nothing less than a fundamental restructuring of the 'time norms' that now equate work success with all consuming commitment." -- Kathleen Gerson, author of Hard Choices: How Women Decide about Work, Career, and Motherhood
"This superb study works on many levels--as first-class scholarship, as probing policy analysis, and as an extraordinary source of insight into the professional lives of men and women. A must read for all who study, love or live with the struggles of work and family." -- John Hagan, co-author of Gender and Practice
"Lawyers now rival medical interns and residents in workaholism (though at least they kill only themselves). This book--the first systematic study of part-time legal careers--shows that lawyers can control their hours and effectively serve employers and clients--as well as themselves and their families." -- Richard Abel, author of American Lawyers
