Rita Mae Kelly – författare

This collection of papers on comparable worth written by political scientists contains the best annotated bibliography on comparable worth that this reviewer has yet seen. One notable paper categorizes the 50 states as to whether they have conducted a comparable worth legislation, and have implemented comparable worth. Other contributors explain how job evaluation can be performed to implement comparable worth, describe the difficulties and possible bias in job evaluation methods, and present US case studies. . . . It has an outstanding bibliography and overview of many important issues. ChoiceLegislation outlawing sexual discrimination and mandating policies of equal pay for equal work has clearly failed to produce the intended results. Women workers continue to be paid substantially less than men, and more and more families headed by women have sunk below the poverty level. This volume of essays focuses on major issues that must be faced before a public policy promoting pay equity can become a reality. Combining the contributions of specialists from several disciplines, it offers statistical comparisons and analyses of wage inequities in various occupations, industries, and regions; case studies of comparable worth programs; and a conceptual framework for approaching the problem on a policy level.

This useful collection of case studies of women in Arizona, Texas, Utah, and California state bureaucracies is a cooperative comparative venture among authors asking similar questions about obstacles to and facilitators of women's career advancement. The editors proceed from the proposition that bureaucracies should be democratic. More specifically, they submit that proportional representation of women in bureaucracies will result in public policy that is more in women's interests than policy produced by predominantly male bureaucrats. The authors find support for this proposition; female bureaucrats are generally more supportive than male bureaucrats of public policies responsive to women's needs. The case studies also illustrate how the status of women in state bureaucracies is dependent on gubernatorial electoral politics. ChoiceWhile a number of researchers have focused on female employment at the managerial level, this book is the first to deal specifically with advances made by women in obtaining high-level positions in state government. Using questionnaire data from several southwestern states, Hale and Kelly examine the extent to which equal opportunity has become a reality for women in state and municipal civil service careers.In two introductory chapters, Hale and Kelly develop the theoretical perspective and conceptual framework on which their analysis is based. They identify and discuss interrelationships of gender, democracy, and representative bureaucracy as well as the individual factors that promote and impede the career advancement of women. The findings of case studies undertaken in Arizona, Texas, Utah, and California are presented in separate chapters. Variables treated in the studies include career mobility, success, and satisfaction; employment behavior; perceptions of barriers to advancement; sources and types of support; domestic responsibilities and constraints; and childhood and professional socialization. The final section of the book summarizes the results of a separate study on work force trends, labor pool availability, and hiring and firing rates in 93 southwestern cities. Providing new information and a model for further research in the field, this book will be of interest for courses or independent work in women's studies, public policy, social change, political science, manpower studies, and public administration.

This groundbreaking collection introduces the concept of gender power as a pervasive but overlooked force within institutions, particularly U.S. politics. It examines the ideological dimensions of masculinity-- masculinism --and its pervasive and reinforcing effects. The essays examine gender as a property of institutions, something with deep symbolic meaning, as well as an analytic category importantly distinctive from sex. Theoretically rich, Gender Power, Leadership and Governance contributes to understandings of power and leadership as it provides a new perspective on men, women, and their relationships to governance.Essays reveal the multiplicity of ways "e;compulsory masculinity"e; is imposed upon female leaders who wish to succeed in a man's world, and analyzes the use of interpersonal means to ensure masculine advantage. For example, only one woman in Congress was able to have a direct effect on any reproductive policy; other women experienced sexual harassment by offensive men, which resulted in their being distracted from performing as leaders.Until now, studies of gender within the field of political science have focused centrally on women. Men have been studied as gendered beings whose thinking has shaped politics in ways advantageous to them, but this volume is unique in crossing multiple levels of analysis and demonstrating the interactive and reinforcing effects of gender power. The book is required reading for political scientists who have frequently been blind to masculinist assumptions and cultural belief systems when gender roles collide with leadership demands for women. It will also appeal to those in public administration and policy, sociology, and business studies."e;An important book that challenges the ways empirical research is done and the ways social scientists think about gender."e;--Nancy Hartsock, University of Washington"e;A very useful book on gender and political leadership that weaves together scholarly research with practical applications and suggestions for change."e;--Virginia Sapiro, University of Wisconsin, Madison"e;A very ambitious book, attempting no less than a paradigm shift in social science thinking."e;--Marcia Lynn Whicker, Rutgers University