Women’s Work, the Family, and Social Policy

The Editors: A former Visiting Professor at New York University, Daniela Del Boca is Professor of Economics and Coordinator of CHILD (Center for Household Income, Labour, and Demographic economics) at the University of Turin, Italy. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Del Boca is the author of several books and journal articles in the areas of labor economics and economics of the family and co-editor of Labour.Margherita Repetto-Alaia is Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Vancouver. A recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and of a doctoral degree in modern European history from the University of Rome, she actively campaigned on behalf of women in Italy for the reform of family laws, equality in the workplace, and equal opportunity. A lecturer at Columbia University from 1983 to 1994, Dr. Repetto-Alaia has widely published in Italy and the United States on the subject of women in modern and contemporary social and political movements. She is co-author of UDI Union of Italian Women 1944-1978 and co-editor of The Formation of the Italian Republic, 1945-1963 (Peter Lang, 1993).

• Contents: Daniela Del Boca/Margherita Repetto-Alaia: Editorial Foreword – Chiara Saraceno: Changes in Italian Families, from the Sixties to the Present – Daniela Del Boca: Labor Market Participation and Fertility of Italian Women: A Comparative Perspective – Stefania Rossetti/Paola Tanda: Human Capital, Gender, and Labor Market Performances – Daniela Del Boca/Marilena Locatelli/Silvia Pasqua: Earnings and Employment of Italian Husbands and Wives in the European Context – Tindara Addabbo: «Atypical» Work in Italy in a Gender Perspective: The Case of Parasubordinates and Part-Timers – Lia Fubini: Women’s Unemployment in Italy – Renata Livraghi: Economic Aspects of Families and Generational Employment Patterns in Italy – Andrea Brandolini/ Giovanni D’Alessio: Household Structure and Income Inequality in Italy: A Comparative European Perspective.

«Looking beyond their borders, in recent decades individual European countries have had to rethink socio-economic norms in light of the supranational project of European integration. Closer to home, these countries must now look into their homes, their offices and their domestic markets to address the growing socio-economic impact of women in the work force. Focussing on the exemplary case of Italy, this excellent collection presents valuable data and insightful analysis of national and supranational dilemmas posed for the workplace, the family, and the economy by the growing and varied presence of women in the workforce.» (Sima Godfrey, Director, Institute of European Studies, University of British Columbia)«This book includes contributions by leading researchers in Italian academia and the Bank of Italy, specializing in the condition of women at home and in the labour market. The economic contributions give us interesting insights into the link between fertility and labour market participation of women, and between the latter and the employment status of their husbands. The only sociological contribution argues that Italian women have made considerable progress towards equality with men in the legal and economic sphere, but have still some way to go. The abundant comparative material allows the reader to place the Italian case in its European context.» (Professor Alessandro Cigno, University of Firenze, Department of State Studies)