Bachelor Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: First Class, New College Durham (New College Durham/ Leeds Metropolitan University), language: English, abstract: The purpose of this project was to analyse to what extent gender equality has been achieved, which barriers still exist in female employment and to evaluate opportunities for women in the UK in comparison to those in Germany. The author reviewed a wide array of sources, such as studies, laws and articles, but the main analysis was done on the basis of extensive data that has been collected by the OECD and the World Economic Forum. Based on those findings, gender gaps concerning labour force participation, occupational sectors and types of work as well as wages and pensions were identified for both countries. More specifically this paper provides information on the main barriers for women in employment, the most important of which are maledominated corporate cultures and discrimination. Especially mothers experience barriers, like the lack of affordable childcare, insufficient flexible working options, or the fact that people who use those are disadvantaged as well as unequal contribution of unpaid work and childcare, despite laws that allow fathers to participate more in family life. During the whole project, the applicability of theories such as the ‘Glass Ceiling’, the ‘Sticky Floor’ or the ‘Opt-Out Revolution’ has been tested in order to identify reasons for inequality. Furthermore, measures which have already been taken against the existing barriers were described, and some that could be taken in the future were suggested. Differences between conditions for women in Germany and the UK have been analysed, compared and evaluated, with the result that the UK offers slightly better chances, but both countries achieve quite different results in particular categories. Depending on which aspects a woman puts emphasis on, this thesis can help to decide which country is best to live and raise a family in.

Using data from the German Microcensus and the British Labour Force Survey of the years 1982, 1984 and 1996, examines the influence of education on the likelyhood of insecure jobs. Finds a higher female dominance in marginal part-time work and in fixed-term employment in the UK.

Provides empirical evidence on nonremunerated overtime worked in Germany and the UK in the period 1992-1997, with some UK data back to 1985.

CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.

The growth in part-time employment has been one of the most striking features in industrialized economies over the past forty years. Part-Time Prospects presents for the first time a systematically comparative analysis of the common and divergent patterns in the use of part-time work in Europe, America and the Pacific Rim. It brings together sociologists and economists in this wide-ranging and comprehensive survey. It tackles such areas as gender issues, ethnic questions and the differences between certain national economies including low pay, pensions and labour standards.

With labour markets across the world and even in social democratic Europe in a state of unprecedented flux, this exhaustive study addresses the problem of how to balance job market demands, personal career interests and private life becomes a central issue for millions of employees. So how do modern work and employment arrangements restructure individual careers and what is required of individuals in order to manage career transitions successfully over time? This is one of very few in-depth empirical studies to analyze how labour market trends, organisational change and the subjective work orientations of individuals interact. The author’s detailed assessment is based on a comparison of the structural contexts, work orientations and employment histories of nurses and ICT technicians in Germany and the UK. These two core service occupations, as well as the national contexts of the two European nations, have quite different working environments and vocational traditions. Nursing is an institutionalized semi-profession with clear criteria of qualification and career continuity, while information and communication technology (ICT) is a new, evolving field with varied skill backgrounds and high job mobility. To arrive at an understanding of how individual career trajectories are changing, this book closely examines the interplay of labour market demands, employees’ work and career orientations and the development of their skills. It records the ways in which employees adapt to increased labour market flexibility, which, on the one hand, induces discontinuities of careers, employment and work, and on the other, generates new skill requirements and learning expectations, as well as unforeseen opportunities.