Critical Employment Analysis: Theory, Methodology and Research
Volume 1, Issue 2 (2011), pp. 113–121
Pub. online: 29 December 2011
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Published
29 December 2011
29 December 2011
Abstract
While labour market research is not a new phenomenon, interest in it is growing. Literature frequently discusses changes in the market as separate disciplines, isolated from each other. On the other hand, it can be found that more and more scientists understand and choose interdisciplinary research as a powerful tool for understanding, critique, explanation and change. But some of these approaches have difficulty accounting for change and the co- existence of similarity and diversity, as well as being ‘gender blind’.
This article critically reviews a range of theoretical approaches to employment research and practice using the lens of feminism. The appropriate integration of gender awareness into mainstream theorizing, is advocated alongside its separate development. In addition, in this article we provide a multidisciplinary approach and attempt to integrate important aspects (knowledge, education, entrepreneurship, self-employment and informality, employment and globalization) that the analysis of labour market and research puts forward. In the light of this assessment, this paper sets out to indicate potentially useful approaches for conducting employment research in the future, where gender is a core component of analysis. Such approach aims to act as a catalyst to provoke a more extensive debate on this topic.