Women returning to the labour market: Case studies in Sheffield.

The study is a comparative analysis of women returners living in two spatially and socioeconomically segregated areas of Sheffield: Kelvin/Thorpe and Greenhill/Bradway. It examines the experience of returning to paid work after childbearing, identifying both variations and similarities which occur between the two cohorts. The study is located within a theoretical framework which is principally informed by dual systems theory. It is therefore concerned with the structuring effect of both patriarchy and class on women's choices, when re-entering paid employment. The influence of the particular local labour market in which the study is placed, Sheffield, is also acknowledged.The study consists of three sections. The first section provides a theoretical overview, examining various labour market theories. Relevant themes and concepts are explored which relate to women returners: the family, education, "gendering" of jobs within the labour market, deskilling and the resenve army of labour. The second section examines research methods, especially practical and methodological considerations relating to women in general and the subjects of this study in particular. It also analyses Sheffield's local labour market and its effect on women's employment. The last section is concerned with an analysis of empirical data, examining factors which influence women's return to employment. It compares and contrasts interviewees' experiences and attitudes towards their education, employment prior to childbearing, patterns of return and spatially related determinants. The study concludes with a brief discussion concerning social polarisation and the underclass.