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Drawing on the experiences of four major EC countries, this book documents the way computer technology has changed the pattern of women's work in the manufacturing sector. The sixteen contributors are leading authorities on the subject and analyse how technology has transformed employment in the clothing industry, which is still the major employer of female blue-collar workers in the EC. The contributors assess the aspects of computerisation that particularly affect women's employment opportuni- ties: flexible hours, flexible work locations and flexible specialisation. The book also contains evaluations of post-Fordism and human-centred technology, two leading issues in the debate about the applications of artificial intelligence and computer-aided technology. These essays highlight a growing polarisation in the job market and suggest training schemes which can equip women for technical and managerial employment. This is a pioneering work; so far, most of the literature on women and computerisation has focussed on office automation and data processing. Computer-aided Manufacturing and Women's Employment makes an important contribution to the fields of technology, employment, women's work, business management and trade union studies.
List of contents
Section I. Introduction.- 1. Introduction.- Section II. The Context.- 2. Reconfiguration of the Market and the Use of Computerised Technology.- Section III. Human-Centred Technology.- 3. On Using Women as Resources: Italian Unions' Strategies Towards Information Technology and New Organisation of Work.- 4. Taylorism or Human-Centred Technology? Evaluating Alternative Paths of Technology in Germany.- Section IV. Organisational Innovations and the Use of Women's Tacit Knowledge.- 5. Benetton Italy: Beyond Fordism and Flexible Specialisation. The Evolution of the Network Firm Model.- 6. Homeworking in Italy in the Age of Computer Technology.- 7. Pronta Moda: The New Business Ventures for Women in Italy.- 8. New Openings for Women in the UK: Design and Craft for Computer-Aided Retailing.- Section V. At the Margin of New Technology.- 9. Technological Gradualism and Minority Women: A Case Study of the British and German Clothing Industries.- 10. An Aspect of Informalisation of Women's Work in a High-Tech Age: Turkish Sweatshops in the Netherlands.- Section VI. New Technology and the Internationalisation of Production.- 11. Technical Developments and Internationalisation of the German Clothing and Knitwear Industry.- 12. Computer-aided Technology and an Emerging International Division of Labour: Prospects for Women.- 13. Rationalisation and Internationalisation of Clothing Firms in the Netherlands: The Case of van Winkel Fashions Company in Budel.- Section VII. On Giving Access to Women.- 14. Why do Women Organise Through Trade Unions in Germany?.- 15. Empowerment or Escape? Technical Training for Homeworkers in Britain.- 16. The Role of Local Intervention: Choices and Agencies for Change.- Section VIII. Some Conclusions.- 17. Restructuring for 1992: Training Women toMeet Shortfalls in Technical and Managerial Skills.- Appendices. Supplementary Material on the Clothing Industries.- Appendix 1. The EC.- Appendix 2. Germany.- Appendix 3. Italy.- Appendix 4. The Netherlands.- Appendix 5. The United Kingdom.
