The New Citizen Armies by Stuart A. Cohen

Author:Stuart A. Cohen [Cohen, Stuart A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Israel, Military, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
ISBN: 9781135169558
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2010-01-21T05:00:00+00:00

In neighboring Germany, there is no such national culture concerning crèche care, and mothers historically have been encouraged to stay home to raise their children. These attitudes have been changing since reunification, with increased acceptance of crèche care. Regional disparities stemming from the separation of East and West Germany remain. In particular, childcare facilities for young children are scarce in the West, while in the East, as a result of the GDR model of the working mother, the situation is better. In 2005 there were places for 37 percent of children in eastern Germany but for only 7.7 percent in western Germany (Fagnani 2007).

Our other cases show a similar increase in the labor-force participation of women. In the Pacific this increase is evident in both Australia and New Zealand. However, although women’s labor-force participation stands at about 60 percent in both countries, women are overrepresented in precarious (part-time, temporary, casual) employment (Curtin and Devere 2006). Furthermore, changes in the political climate have affected the employment of women in these countries differently. In Australia, the Labour government of the 1980s and early 1990s recognized the role of the female and multicultural worker, and government commitments were made to subsidized childcare and compulsory superannuation. However, the Howard government (1997–2007) did not advance these policies. Deregulation of the labor market under this latter government affected women workers, who historically had been protected by trade unions and centralized wage bargaining. The government dismantled a number of laws and agencies protecting women’s rights and promoting gender equality, including abolishing the Register of Women, the Women’s Statistics Unit at the Bureau of Statistics, and the Women’s Bureau. Repeatedly, albeit unsuccessfully, the government also attempted to amend the Sex Discrimination Act of 1984.

In New Zealand, with the rise of the National Party in the 1990s, legislation aimed at deregulating the labor market rescinded pay-equity laws, and abolished compulsory unionism and the promotion of union contracts. However, when Labour regained power in 1999, legislation to soften the effects of this deregulation was introduced, including the promotion of collective bargaining. Although the Labour government did not address pay inequity for several years, in 2004 it outlined a five-year Pay and Employment Equity Action Plan that should be completed in 2009.

North America has witnessed an increase in women’s labor-force participation similar to that in Europe. The participation rate of women in the US has risen since the 1970s, leveling off at around 60 percent in the 2000s (US Census Bureau, 1995–2008). In Canada, women’s labor-force participation has been steadily increasing, nearing 60 percent in the 2000s (Almey 2007).

As articulated in the model, the national security situation also affects women’s military participation. Moskos et al. (2000) argue that since the end of the Cold War the changed strategic situation and increased globalization have led to the ascendance of the “postmodern military.” Included in the postmodern military is a change in core mission from warfighting to peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, as well as an increased participation in international missions sanctioned by supra- or extranational organizations.

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