Work Changes Gender: Men And Equality in the Transition of Labour Forms

Changes in the work sphere and the "vanishing" of standard work may lead to the end of the old breadwinner type of masculinity. But where "new men" try to balance work and life or caring activities, they face obstacles. This book explains detailed ongoing changes, showing the ways men deal with such changes, and gives recommendations how to achieve gender equality by including a perspective on men. As an international research project, Work Changes Gender examines ongoing shifts in male working environments in Europe, their interrelations with changing male self-assessment, and evolving opportunities for gender equality. Detailed studies on these issues were conducted in five European countries-Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Norway, and Spain-and Israel, while being set at the national, corporate, and individual worker levels. A culture of work, based on traditional models of masculinity and a policy of inadequate tax laws and paternal leave regulations, still promotes the breadwinner model and prevents gender equality. The field of gender policy still seems to be basically restricted to women.