September 18 – 20, 2009
at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK)
Lehmkuhlenbusch 4
27753 Delmenhorst
Gender dynamics in education, employment and social policy are characterized by contradictory developments. On the one hand, women in industrial countries have caught up considerably in education, qualification and access to highly qualified careers. On the other hand, they are still in the minority in top positions in management and science. At the same time, grave disadvantages have intensified over the course of the economic crisis and the dismantling of the welfare state: women dominate the growing number of low-paying jobs, they are more frequently unemployed and have more difficulty returning to regular employment. Indeed gender discrimination has many faces: the advancement to management positions is easier in the USA than in Germany; but in this country women are less often hit by low wages than in the USA. In Germany, as in France, flexible and less secure forms of employment are spreading. However, the social risks associated with this are higher for women in Germany than for those in France. Economic crisis and dissolution of traditional family structures are observed in all industrial nations. But their effects on women’s social situations are stronger in Japan than in western Europe.
In what direction are these developments pointing? How can the differences be explained? An international conference at the Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg aims to contribute to the survey and analysis of these complex developmental dynamics. Renowned scholars and young academics from Japan, North America and Europe will meet to present new research findings and discuss the gender-specific impact of changes in the education system, in the job market, and in social policy and compare these between countries.