From: albelda@umbsky.cc.umb.edu
Subject: Review of Amott book
Sender: femecon-l@bucknell.edu
X-Comment: Feminist Economists Discussion Group

This review was written by Randy Albelda and was posted in PSN by Paula
England.

I recently received and read Teresa Amott's _Caught in the Crisis:
Women and the U.S. Economy_ from Cornerstone Books, a new
division of Monthly Review Press publishing a series of short,
accessible books on a variety of topics.  Teresa's book is the
first of the series.  With good reason, this readable, 160 page
book does a great job of integrating women's economic roles into
the current economic situation.  It's not an easy story to tell
because while women have gotten a bigger piece of a shrinking
pie, the news is not very good for most women and men. 
Inequality among women has increased, real wages for men have
fallen, and more women and families are working more hours. 
Amott does an excellent job piecing this story together with
attention to differences by race and class interspersed with many
terrific excerpts from articles that have appeared in various left,
feminist and popular magazines and newspapers.

The first chapter provides a very brief summary of women's
economic history in the US  while the second chapter is a great summary
of the rise and primarily the fall of the post WWII economic
order.  In both chapters Amott is able to integrate the role of
race, gender, class and capitalism in a world order to provide a
solid context for the next three chapters.  The third chapter
then looks carefully at women's labor force experiences in light
of the decline in manufacturing and unionism and the rise of
women's labor force participation.  Amott is particular good at
detailing the corporate response to the crisis--capital flight,
union busting, and restructuring work--and its gendered impact. 
The fourth chapter documents the change in family structure and 
the prevalence of the double day. I found the data and discussion of
the change in marital and child bearing patterns particularly good
because they integrated nicely the dual impact of feminism and
the current economic crisis on women's home and work lives.  The 
final chapter provides an analysis of economic policy over the last 
20 years in relation to women's lives.  She discusses income 
redistribution policies (i.e. taxing the poor not the rich), 
militarism, deregulating industry, and the regulation of women's 
lives--especially poor women.  At the end of this chapter, Amott 
offers alternative policies. 

For leftist who want more feminist analysis or feminists who look
for more leftist analysis of the current economic state of women,
---Caught in the Crisis-- is a must read.  By the way, at only
$10.00, your students will appreciate the book for its price
too!.   To order contact Monthly Review Press: Tel (212) 691-2555;
Fax (212) 727-3676)