Women and Work in the 21st Century

Debates about women and work seem to be everywhere in American culture, dominated by the question of whether professional women can "have it all." Simultaneously, women—especially women of color—continue to be concentrated in the lowest-level, most poorly-paid jobs. And as more families depend on women's income, the contradictions between waged work and unwaged family work grow more acute. Controversies about women and their labor—waged and unwaged—have a long history in the U.S. This course will explore current debates from historical, sociological, and theoretical perspectives, with particular attention to the impact of race and class. Enrollment limited to 20 sophomores, juniors, seniors.