Changing Gender Orders and Diversity in Comparative Perspective: Growing Flexibility of Work and Life Strategies

In most postindustrial societies, we presently experience a transformation from a gender order based on difference to a more flexible one. In the sphere of production, we witness a highly increased women’s labor market participation, based on the support of equal opportunity and diversity schemes. However, a large part of female employees are working in irregular or precarious jobs, and this trend is extending to male wage earners. In the sphere of reproduction, fathers are seeking opportunities for stronger participation, for example through child care leave. Institutional rules are getting more flexible against the backdrop of economization and growing insecurity. Moreover, biological dualism in the concept of gender is changing towards diverse gender concepts and supporting individual life careers.