Autonomy, control and job advancement: The case of low paid women working in food retail

Linda McKie*, Gill Hogg, Laura Airey, Kathryn Backett-Milburn, Zoe Rew

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Food retail is a major employer and growth sector. It is one in which gender segregation is evident with many shops reliant on parte time low paid women employees. Most of these employees are trying to combine care responsibilities and paid work. This research note explores findings from mm interviews with women working in nine food retail businesses in Scotland. Analysis illustrates the ways shop assistants maximize their control over time to ensure that unpaid family and care work can be prioritized. By contrast supervisors find promotion brings constraints on time and autonomy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)787-796
Number of pages10
JournalWork, Employment And Society
Volume23
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Dec 2009

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • autonomy
  • food retail work
  • job advancement
  • low paid women workers
  • part-time work
  • work family articulation

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