Mature women re-entering employment : The role of the manpower services commission in meeting their needs.

This thesis reviews the re-entry experiences of women who left employment temporarily to raise a family. It investigates in particular the role of the M.S.C. with regard to these re-entrants.The background to the research is given in three chapters which provide an outline of the current situation of women in employment, a review of the literature on women and work, and an account of the methodology to be used in the research.The following four chapters present the results of a series of surveys conducted in the Sheffield area.A pilot probe provided the local grounding. A standardised survey was conducted involving 480 Job Centre users. Thirty-two potential Job Centre clients gave depth interviews; and an attitudinal survey investigated over 50 M.S.C. staff.As well as confirming well documented re-entrant preferences for part-time work, close to home, in the traditional female job sector, the surveys also established that women are returning to work at a younger age, with youngerchildren, and after a shorter domestic break than had been previously supposed. The role of the M.S.C. in the re-entry process was seen as very peripheral by women at the two extremes of the socio-economic scale. Most effective service was given to registered clients and least to non-registered clients. Both groups were prevented from making full use of the M.S.C. by lack of knowledge of what services were available. Staff perceptions of client needs were generally closely in line with those of the re-entrants themselves though it was commonly felt that the current economic situation was particularly disadvantageous to this group.In the final chapter of the thesis these empirical findings are summarised and assessed against the background of previous knowledge, and a commentary is given on the research process itself.