Reviews

Reshaping the Work-Family Debate: Why Men and Class Matter by Joan C. Williams

bk_gjendem's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Joan Williams is brilliant. I wrote about it here: http://deepmuckbigrake.com/2010/12/05/books-reshaping-the-work-family-debate/.

glennchristmas's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Measured, engaging and insightful. Williams casts a light on the consequences of the prevalence of a masculine ideal as a default in most workplaces. She dedicates a large portion of the book to addressing these consequences for the family contexts of professional-managerial and working classes respectively.

An incremental push towards "reconstructive feminism" is suggested as a solution. (In short: challenging default masculine attitides that routinely benefit men economically - although perhaps not emotionally.) As with 'White Working Class', Williams engages with the practicalities of selling the changes she wants to see politically and culturally. Once more, Williams engages with and demostrates empathy for perspectives wholly different to her own (e.g. working class pro-lifers). A scathing attack on patriarchy this is not.

Vast swathes of the policy content is US-specific (essentially the US has a *lot* of catching up to do with Europe). But her insights into attitudes to gender in the workplace can easily be applied to a British context.

Well worth reading, especially if you are a bloke.