Choosing to be different

In this pamphlet, Jill Kirby summarises the research of Dr Catherine Hakim of the London School of Economics which challenges the consensus that men and women are interchangeable in their aspirations for work and family. She shows that the majority of modern women expect to reduce their level of career commitment upon marriage, and that most fulfil those expectations. Jill Kirby shows how policies for employment, childcare and family taxation entail public spending and wide-ranging legislation with far-reaching consequences and argues that such policies should be based on the real-life preferences of today’s women rather than on outdated gender equality stereotypes.