Gender at Work: The Dynamics of Job Segregation by Sex during World War II
Gender at Work: The Dynamics of Job Segregation by Sex during World War II
by Ruth Milkman
University of Illinois Press, 1987 Cloth: 978-0-252-01352-2 | Paper: 978-0-252-01357-7 Library of Congress Classification HD6060.65.U5M55 1987 Dewey Decimal Classification 331.40973
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Winner of the Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in Women's History, the American Historical Association, 1987. Winner of the SOCIALIST REVIEW Book Award
Women's entry into so-called men's work during World War II sparked conflicts at the time and when men returned at war's end. Ruth Milkman delves into the issues in play and the prewar origins of traditional patterns of gender segregation in the workplace. Ranging from the dynamics on the shop floor to hiring patterns, Milkman pays particular attention to automobile and electrical manufacturing. She analyzes a number of persistent questions, including management's decision to re-embrace gender segregation after the war; women's lack of protest; the failure of unions to protect women; and how related employer strategies helped control labor by maintaining women's place as workers paid less than men.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Ruth Milkman is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at The CUNY Graduate Center. Her books include On Gender, Labor, and Inequality and L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement.
REVIEWS
Winner of the Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in Women's History, the American Historical Association, 1987.
— the American Historical Association
Winner of the SOCIALIST REVIEW Book Award
— SOCIALIST REVIEW Book Award
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Fordism and Feminization 12
3 The Great Depression and the Triumph of Unionization 27
4 Redefining "Women's Work" 49
5 Wartime Labor Struggles over the Position of Women in Industry 65
6 The Emergence of a Women's Movement in the Wartime CIO 84
7 Demobilization and the Reconstruction of "Woman's Place" in Industry 99
8 Resistance to Management's Postwar Policies 128
9 Epilogue and Conclusion 153
Notes 161
Index 207