Le donne come attori del mutamento sociale: i comportamenti occupazionali femminili in cinque aree urbane

Abstract

Women as actors of social change: women and work in five urban areas Huge social, economic and demographical processes are changing developed countries and affecting reproduction patterns (fertility, ageing, household organization, education) and labour market regulation. Sociological literature failed, in a measure, to consider territorial variability of those processes. This paper focuses on social change comparing five urban areas (Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples and Bari) and, considering women as key actors of social change, analyses female labour participation and its transformation between local contexts and generations, using data from a recent survey on social change in Italian urban areas. The authors show that women living in the Northern and Central urban areas actually have undertaken a deep transformation in working career and social roles, getting close to the European standards and setting a cleavage with women living in the South, whose life strategies are strongly influenced by traditional models.