Austerity has become the new principle for public policy in Europe and the US as the financial crisis of 2008 has been converted into a public debt crisis. However, current austerity measures risk losing past progress towards gender equality by undermining important employment and social welfare protections and putting gender equality policy onto the back burner. This volume constitutes the first attempt to identify how the economic crisis and the subsequent austerity policies are affecting women in Europe and the US, tracing the consequences for gender equality in employment and welfare systems in nine case studies from countries facing the most severe adjustment problems.

The contributions adopt a common framework to analyse women in recession, which takes into account changes in women’s position and current austerity conditions. The findings demonstrate that in the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis, employment gaps between women and men declined ? but due only to a deterioration in men’s employment position rather than any improvements for women. Tables are set to be turned by the austerity policies which are already having a more negative impact on demand for female labour and on access to services which support working mothers. Women are nevertheless reinforcing their commitment to paid work, even at this time of increasing demands on their unpaid domestic labour.

Future prospects are bleak. Current policy is reinforcing the same failed mechanisms that caused the crisis in the first place and is stalling or even reversing the long term growth in social investment in support for care. This book makes the case for gender equality to be placed at the centre of any progressive plan for a route out of the crisis.

This volume constitutes the first attempt to identify how the economic crisis and the subsequent austerity policies are affecting women in Europe and the US, tracing the consequences for gender equality in employment and welfare systems in nine case studies from countries facing the most severe adjustment problems.

Introduction: women''s vulnerability to recession and austerity /▼rKaramessini, Maria --▼tFrom "women and recession" to "women and austerity" : a framework for analysis /▼rRubery, Jill --▼tChallenging the balkanization of gender contracts /▼rO''Reilly, Jacqueline,▼rNazio, Tiziana --▼tWomen and men in the "great European recession" /▼rBettio, Francesca,▼rVerashchagina, Alina --▼tGender impacts of the "great recession" in the United States /▼rAlbelda, Randy --▼tIceland in crisis : gender equality and social equity /▼rThorsdottir, Thora Kristin --▼tGender, Recession and Austerity in the UK /▼rRubery, Jill,▼rRafferty, Anthony --▼tThe labour market impact of the economic crisis in Hungary through the lens of gender equality /▼rFrey, Maria --▼tStructural crisis and adjustment in Greece : social regression and the challenge to gender equality /▼rKaramessini, Maria --▼tIreland in crisis 2008-2012 : women, austerity and inequality /▼rBarry, Ursula,▼rConroy, Pauline --▼tEmployment and austerity : changing welfare and gender regimes in Portugal /▼rFerreira, Virginia --▼tWomen, gender equality and the economic crisis in Spain /▼rGago, Elvira Gonzalez ,▼rKirzner, arcelo Segales --▼tLiving through the crisis in Italy : the labour market experience of men and women /▼rVerashchagina, Alina,▼rCapparucci, Marina --▼tPolicy in the time of crisis : employment policy and gender equality in Europe /▼rVilla, Paola,▼rSmith, Mark --▼tGender, inequality and the crisis : towards more equitable development /▼rPerrons, Diane,▼rPlomien, Ania --▼tEconomic crisis and austerity : challenges to gender equality /▼rKaramessini, Maria,▼rRubery, Jill.