| 05f38fcc8202a44ca8101a9ef824e125 |
research overview |
<p>The inequalities within households, the economics of caring, feminist economics
and the gender implications of economic policy.</p><h5>Inequalities within Households</h5><p>I
am currently engaged with my colleagues Dr Jerome De Henau and Dr Cristina Santos
in an ESRC funded research project entitled<a href="http://www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/genix/">Gender
and intra-household entitlements. A cross-national longitudinal analysis</a>(GenIX).
This project aims to understand the factors that influence the benefits individuals
to household resources. We are conducting this study cross-nationally to explore the
effect of socio-economic, cultural and policy differences.</p><p>The GenIX project
arose out of a previous project on'<a href="http://www.genet.ac.uk/projects/project5.htm"
rel="nofollow">Within Household Inequalities and Public Policy</a>' that formed
part of the ESRC funded<a href="http://www.genet.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow">Gender Equality
Network</a>. Conducted jointly with Fran Bennett (Oxford University) and Holly Sutherland
(Essex University), this collaborative mixed-methods research project examined the
impact of policy changes on behaviour and distribution within households.</p><h5>The
Economics of Caring</h5><p>I am also interested in various aspects of the economics
of caring, including the macroeconomics of caring, caring as a distinctive relational
labour process and explanations of caring behaviour at the micro-level. Much of my
work is on how to theorise care within an economic framework, but I also work on care
policy.</p><p>I am a member of Political and Social Economy of Care in a Globalising
World (PASEC), an international network on care policy, which has been examining the
effects of markets and migration on care policies and practices, and the Nordic Network
for Research on Marketisation in Eldercare (NorMaCare).</p><p>Nationally I have, jointly
with Prof Hilary Land (Bristol University), carried out studies on care policy, with
respect to both child and elder care, for the trade union Unison, the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation and the Equal Opportunities Commission.</p><p>I worked with Dr Maria Sigala
on an ESRC funded a project on"The Determinants of Caring Behaviour" (funded
as part of the ESRC's research programme on<a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/esrcfutureofwork"
rel="nofollow">The Future of Work</a>) examining the factors influencing the choices
that mothers of small children make about employment and childcare.</p><h5>Feminist
Economics</h5><p>I am a feminist economist, working with many others on developing
a non-gender-blind approach to economics. I am an active member of the<a href="http://www.iaffe.org/"
rel="nofollow">International Association for Feminist Economics</a>and was its President
in 2009. I was an Associate Editor of its journal<a href="http://www.feministeconomics.org/"
rel="nofollow"><em>Feminist Economics</em></a>from 1996 to 2012 and jointly guest
edited two Special issues on<em>Children and Family Policy</em>, vol. 6, no. 1, March
2000, with Nancy Folbre, and on<em>Lone Mothers</em>vol. 10, no. 2, July 2004, with
Randy Albelda and Jane Humphries. I am on the editorial board of the<em>Journal of
Women, Politics and Policy</em>.</p><h5>The Gender Implications of Economic Policy</h5><p>I
am also involved in the gender analysis of budgets and in investigating the gender
implications of economic policy, particularly the effects of tax and benefit policies
on households and individuals within them, and on the balance between unpaid caring
work and employment. I am part of an international movement to promote Gender Budgeting,
the incorporation of gender impact considerations into the development of national
and local budgets.</p><p>In the UK, I am the co-ordinator of the Policy Advisory Group
and was the founding chair of the<a href="http://www.wbg.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">Women's
Budget Group</a>, a think tank that monitors, comments and advises on the gender implications
of the government's social and economic policies. I have been consulted by the
Treasury, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Business, Innovation&
Skills on policy issues concerning welfare reform, lone-parents, maternity and parental
leave, childcare and work-life balance, and have given evidence to a number of policy
committees and commissions. I am on two advisory groups for the<a href="http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/"
rel="nofollow">Equality and Human Rights Commission</a>, one on Working Better and
the other on Making Fair Financial Decisions.</p><p>De Henau, J. and Himmelweit, S.,
(in press)'Unpacking within household gender differences in partners' subjective
benefits from household income'.<em>Journal of Marriage and Family</em>.</p><p>Himmelweit,
S., Santos C., Sevilla, A. and Sofer C. (in press)'Sharing of resources within
the family and the economics of household decision-making'.<em>Journal of Marriage
and Family</em>(in press).</p><p>De Henau, J. and Himmelweit, S., (in press)'Comparing
welfare regimes by their effects on intra-household inequalities' (with Jérôme
De Henau) in Ferri, M. and Monsonis-Paya, I. eds.<em>Sustainability and transformation
in European Social Policy,</em>Peter Lang.</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2013)'Care: feminist
economic theory and policy challenges'<em>Journal of Gender Studies Ochanomizu
University</em>, 16.</p><p>Brennan D., Cass, B. Himmelweit, S. and Szebehely, M.(2012)'The
Marketisation of Care: Rationales and Consequences in Nordic and Liberal Care Regimes'
(with Deborah Brennan, Bettina Cass and Marta Szebehely),<em>Journal of European Social
Policy</em>, 22(4): pp. 377–391</p><p>Bennett, F., De Henau J. Himmelweit, S.
and Sung, S. (2012)'Financial togetherness and autonomy within couples' in
J. Scott, S. Dex and A. Plagnol (eds),<em>Gendered Lives:</em><em>Gender Inequalities
in Production and Reproduction</em>: New York: Edward Elgar</p><p>Himmelweit, S. and
Land, H. (2011)'Reducing gender inequalities to create a sustainable care system'<em>Kurswechsel</em>,
4 pp. 49–63</p><p>Annesley, C. and Himmelweit, S. (2011)'Women' in Yeates,
N., Haux, T., Jawad, R. and Kilkey, M. (eds).<em>In defence of welfare: the impacts
of the spending review.</em>The Social Policy Association: 19–21.</p><p>De Henau,
J. Himmelweit, S. and Santos, C. (2010)"Gender Equality and Taxation: A UK case
Study" in C. Grown and I. Valodia (eds)<em>Taxation and Gender Equity: A Comparative
Analysis of Direct and Indirect Taxes in Developing and Developed Countries</em>,
Abingdon: Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking: 261–298.</p><p>Himmelweit,
S. and Land, H. (2010)<em>Who cares, who pays: A report on personalisation in social
care prepared for UNISON</em>, London: Unison</p><p>Himmelweit, S. and Land, H. (2008)<a
href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/2293.pdf" rel="nofollow">Reducing gender
inequalities to create a sustainable care system</a>Joseph Rowntree Foundation Viewpoint
Ref: 2293.</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2008)"Policy on Care: a help or hindrance to
gender inequality" in J. Scott, S. Dex and H. Joshi (eds)<em>Women and Employment:
Changing Lives and New Challenges,</em>Cheltenham and Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar:
347–368.</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2007)'The Right to Request Flexible Working;
A'very British' approach to gender (in)equality'<em>Australian Bulletin
of Labour</em>33(2): 246–263</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2007)'The Prospects for
Caring: economic theory and policy analysis'<em>Cambridge Journal of Economics</em>31(4):
581–599</p><p>Himmelweit, S. and Land, H. (2007) Supporting Parents and Carers,
EOC Working paper series 63, Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission</p><p>A. Bertie,
S. Himmelweit and A.B.Trigg (2006)"Social Norms, Cognitive Dissonance and Broadcasting:
How to influence Economic Agents" in C. Bruun (ed.)<em>Advances in Artificial
Economics: the Economy as a Complex Dynamic System</em>, Springer Verlag: 235–252</p><p>Himmelweit,
S. (2006)'Feminism and Economics'<em>Soundings</em>33: 151–162</p><p>Himmelweit,
S. (2005)'Caring: The need for an economic strategy'<em>Public Policy Research</em>12(3):
168–173</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2005)'Making Policy Makers More Gender Aware'<em>Women,
Politics and Policy</em>, 27(1/2):109–121 (reprinted in Hartmann, H. ed.<em>Gendering
politics and policy: recent developments in Europe, Latin America, and the United
States.</em>USA: Haworth Press Inc.(2006) 101–121.)</p><p>Himmelweit, S. and
Sigala, M. (2004)'Choice and the relationship between identities and behaviour
for mothers with pre-school children: Some implications for policy from a UK study'
(with Maria Sigala)<em>Journal of Social Policy</em>33(3), July; pp.455–478</p><p>Albelda,
R. Bergmann, B., Green, K., Himmelweit, S. Koren, C. and the Women's Committee
of One Hundred (2004)'Lone Mothers: What is to be Done?'<em>Feminist Economics</em>10(2),
July; pp.237–264</p><p>Albelda, R., Himmelweit, S. and Humphries, J. (2004)'The
Dilemmas of Lone Motherhood: Key Issues for Feminist Economics' (with,<em>Feminist
Economics</em>10(2), July, pp.1–7</p><p>S. Himmelweit (2003)"An Evolutionary
Approach to Caring" in Barker, D.& Kuiper, E. (eds.),<em>Towards a Feminist
Philosophy of Economics. An Anthology</em>, Routledge (Francis& Taylor), London,
2003: 247–265</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2002)'Economic theory, norms and the
care gap, or :why do economists become parents?' in Alan Carling, Simon Duncan
and Rosalind Edwards (eds.),<em>Analysing families: Morality and Rationality in Policy
and Practice</em>, Routledge, London, pp.231–250</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2002)'Tools
for Budget Impact analysis: taxes and benefits', in K. Judd (ed),<em>Gender Budget
Initiatives: strategies, Concepts and experiences</em>, United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM), New York, pp. 62–69.</p><p>Himmelweit, S. (2002)'Making
Visible the Hidden Economy: the Case for Gender-impact Analysis of Economic Policy',<em>Feminist
Economics</em>8(1), March, pp. 49–70.</p><p>A repository of research publications
and other research outputs can be viewed at The Open University's<a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk"
title="Open Research Online">Open Research Online</a>.</p> |