Labor Policy and the Social Meaning of Parenthood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22934833 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah N Gatson (0000-0002-6501-9496, American Bar Foundation, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 277-310 |
| Publication date | 1997-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Law & Social Inquiry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0897-6546 • E-ISSN: 1747-4469 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1747-4469.1997.tb00874.x |
| OpenAlex | W2010510822 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
The article explores an aspect of the debate over the place of women in the paid labor force. Focusing on disputes over “protective” labor policies, “fetal protection” policies in particular, the essay discusses the implications of such policies for the social meaning of parenthood. Using data from inter-views with 49 mothers and 37 fathers of children in neonatal intensive care units, the essay presents evidence suggesting that traditional social values in-herent in female-exclusive labor policies are inadequate when one is dealing with the practical needs of parents. A policy that views women as nurturing and men as economically active resides in assumptions that women have the sole biological connection to children and overly determines a narrow conception of parenthood. The parents in this sample demonstrate the ongoing and complex negotiations involved in parenting, negotiations that labor policies have often ignored.
Economics · Labour economics · Meaning (existential) · Negotiation · Social science · Sociology · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Work-Family Balance Challenges
Hard Choices
No Man's Land
Protecting Soldiers and Mothers
A Feminist Case Against National Family Policy
Outside the Law
Career Mobility Dynamics
Effects of paternal occupational exposure on spontaneous abortions
Organizational Repertoires and Institutional Change
How institutions think
Federalism, Gender, & the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
Feminist Interpretations and Political Theory
Interdependence and Reintegrative Social Control
"The pitfalls of "fetal protection
Renting women, buying babies and class struggles
Cheap labor
Fetal Exclusion Policies and Gendered Constructions of Suitable Work
Women in Toxic Work Environments
The Restructuring of Gender Relations in an Aging Society
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |