Families Facing Untenable Choices
Inflexible employment undermines mothers’ ability to provide family care. Playing by the rules of middle class institutions poses particular challenges for low-income moms. Read More
work
A 21st Century Gender Revolution
The 20th century saw women take the workplace by storm. Now, the revolution has reached higher education, as women outpace men in college graduation and continue to narrow the gap in professional degrees. Read More
Not So Separate Spheres
Women’s attitudes and decisions about work-family balance belie the popular “separate spheres” notion. In reality, the majority of women work and parent simultaneously, even as workplaces continue to idealize workers who are fully (and solely) devoted to their jobs. Read More
The World At The U.S.-Mexican Border
"Second-tier cities" are multiplying in the developing world, largely due to growth in industry and population. Reynosa, Tamaulipas on the border of Mexico and the United States, illustrates the social tensions and cultural clashes common in the urban developing world. While some groups prosper, others suffer amidst poor work and living conditions and struggle to keep long- held cultural practices alive. Read More
Ageism In The American Workplace
Age isn't often seen as a source of discrimination. Yet, a growing trend in corporate downsizing, combined with an aging population, has made older workers more vulnerable to being pushed out of the workforce. Counteracting stereotypes of older workers and increasing corporate accountability can decrease this hidden form of discrimination. Read More
Redefining Retirement
If married women’s movement into the workforce was the labor market story of the 20th century, the aging workforce and growing retired force will … Read More
Nonprofits in Need
When housing collapses or failing businesses stand to ruin a community, nonprofits come to the rescue and in myriad ways temper the devastation. But what happens when the entire economy fails, taking with it the resources nonprofits depend upon to provide those services? According to the five sociologists Contexts turned to for answers, it means times will be harder than we might have expected, but the outcome not as devastating as we thought. Read More
Explaining and Eliminating Racial Profiling
The emancipation of slaves is a century-and-a-half in America’s past. Many would consider it ancient history. Even the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the … Read More
Sociology Finds Discrimination in the Law
Correction: the print edition of this article contains a typo on page 31. The diversity management industry is an estimated $8 billion industry, not $8 … Read More
A Matter of Degrees
Americans value few things more than a college degree. But what exactly do they do for people? Although college graduates have higher incomes, the reasons … Read More
