"Getting Out of the House": Women Returning to Employment, Education and Training

The last decade has witnessed a significant move out of full-time home duties into paid employment among women in Ireland. This book focuses on the experiences of the women driving this social change. Drawing on information from surveys and from in-depth interviews with women returners and service providers, this book explores the push and pull factors which prompt women to make a move back into employment, education or training.

The study also highlights the difficulties facing women who wish to return and finds that the key barriers include poor information, lack of childcare, low levels of formal qualifications, inadequate recognition of skills obtained outside the workplace, limited opportunities for flexible work/training, and loss of self-confidence. The research shows that a significant proportion of women in the home re-enter paid employment during the second half of the 1990s, but many enter low-paid jobs and experience occupational downgrading on their return.

Published in association with the Economic and Social Research Institute and sponsored by the National Development Plan, this book will be of interest to policy makers, those involved in womens groups and all those concerned with labour market processes, education and gender issues in Irish society.