Labor Law, Work and Family

This seminar will explore one of the central problems of contemporary labor regulation: the division of work into the dichotomous realms of unpaid labor (i.e., intrafamilial 'care work' such as raising children and caring for elders) and paid labor. We will examine the role of law in creating and maintaining those dichotomous realms, and the impact of this arrangement on the increasing num-ber of women (and not a few men) who struggle to straddle the divide and thus to square the demands of life in the paid labor market with the responsibilities of care work. We will explore the consequences for gender equality (in both the workplace and the home) and for economic 'competitiveness' (as private firms and governments alike experiment with so-called 'family friendly' policies). Our study will compare approaches to work/family issues taken by Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Sweden, and will also examine the role of supranational regulation, at both the regional (e.g., EU) and international (e.g., the IMF) levels.

Course Schedule

  • Date: Tuesday 3:30-5:30PM
  • Location: KT 205

Course Information

  • Catalog number-Section number: 795-01
  • Course Type: Seminar
  • Prerequisites: May Satisfy Writing Req.
  • Credits (min/max): 3/3
  • Subjects:

Enrollment

  • Enrollment status: Open
  • Current enrollment/capacity: 16/18
  • Reserve population/capacity: 0/0
  • Waitlist enrollment/capacity: 0/40

Grading

  • Grade basis: Graded
  • Satisifies Writing Requirement: UCWR
  • Exam type: NO EXAM