The Sex of Class: Women Transforming American Labor
"Cobble has edited an insightful volume that extends our understanding of how American unions are responding to the increased presence of women in the workforce. Several chapters discuss how to implement flexible grievance and work systems to better serve women's needs to balance home demands with work and how to organize groups that were not thought of as ripe for organization, including females immigrant workers, informal economy workers, and home care workers. Concrete examples are found throughout; particularly noteworthy is the chapter containing conversations with union organizers at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts medical center. Highly recommended."—Choice"Once again, Dorothy Sue Cobble is right on target. In The Sex of Class, she's brought together a remarkable group of essays that spell out why class inequalities are growing larger and how the working class is becoming more female than ever. At the same time, this collection thoughtfully describes the place in the union movement for millions of women who teach our kids, clean our offices, and nurse us back to health. The Sex of Class is indispensable. Everyone who's part of the struggle for working women should read it."—Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice-President, AFL-CIO"Anyone interested in advancing either our understanding or our practice on class, gender, and the labor movement needs to read this collection, which includes some of the most creative thinking available on these issues. This book is central if scholars are to understand what is happening to the U.S. class structure, and if either the labor movement or the women's movement is to regain momentum and power."—Dan Clawson, University of Massachusetts Amherst, author of The Next Upsurge: Labor and the New Social Movements"The Sex of Class, edited by Dorothy Sue Cobble and featuring articles by twenty distinguished authors with varying experiences and points of view, breaks new ground in advancing our understanding of the important role of women in labor and social justice organizations. This highly readable book is essential reading not only for students in labor studies, women's studies, sociology and political science classes but also for all who are concerned with the future of the American labor movement."—Lois Gray, Jean McKelvey-Alice Grant Professor of Labor-Management Relations Emeritus, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University"This book is an important addition to the literature on women and trade unions. Dorothy Sue Cobble frames the diverse chapters in terms of 'the sex of class' and points out that work is being feminized in several dimensions."—Margaret Hallock, Director, Wayne Morse Center, University of Oregon"A must-read for anyone interested in the future of the union movement."—Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Center for WorkLife Law, University of California, Hastings"The Sex of Class is such an exciting book. The narrative is clear and refreshing, tackling tough issues of gender and class inequality in an accessible and powerful way. Many of the chapters begin with compelling personal stories that draw the reader into the material. And this book is about more than sex and class, as it also targets the important racial and ethnic dynamics of the labor movement today."—Rosemary Batt, Cornell University, coauthor of The New American Workplace