Women’s decisions about paid work and family life after childbirth : a critique of the Hakim model

Sheree Cartwright

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    Abstract

    In Australia there has been new attention paid to women’s work/life choices, which have been driven by changes in paid work and family, and marked particularly by an increase in women’s paid work participation rate over the last three decades. The increase is most obvious among married women with young children (Pocock 2003). Attention to women’s work/life decision-making also coincides with the apparent adoption of Hakim’s model by the Howard Government with regard to its women and family policies. This paper is a review of the research literature to date on women’s decisions about paid work and family life after childbirth. A key objective is to critique Hakim’s model about ‘women’s choice’ (Hakim 2000, 2003). The main focus is the Australian context however the discussion also extends to the UK. Previous research explains women’s paid work patterns by focusing on women’s preferences for paid work and family life, but neglects to document women’s lived-experiences at particular stages throughout the life-course. These analyses have tended to be based largely on quantitative research methods, which are linked to more general theories of women’s paid work orientations (Hakim 2000).
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationWomen and Work: Current RMIT University Research
    EditorsSara Charlesworrth, Maureen Fasteanu
    Place of PublicationMelbourne, Vic.
    PublisherRMIT University
    Pages24-35
    Number of pages12
    ISBN (Print)864593376
    Publication statusPublished - 2004

    Keywords

    • women
    • employment
    • work and family

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