Women, the Economy & the Trades ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

The US has been suffering from a crisis of inequality for almost four decades and it affects all aspects of working people’s lives – the kinds of jobs we hold, how much we earn, how many hours we work, and even how our family’s function. All workers experience this economic reality in different ways; women, and especially women and men of color, face particular hurdles. While some workers have made tremendous economic strides most working people are still struggling. We need to have an accurate understanding of women’s economic and political realities, and how they interact with structures and ideologies of class and race, to envision the kind of society we want for our families and the policies needed to achieve this vision. With a focus on women in the building trades, this course will explore 1) the location of women (and men) in the economy, 2) the historical context of working women’s social movements, 3) the experiences of women in the building trades -- why they sought access and their impact on the trades, tradesmen and social policies, 3) the evolutionary role of construction unions in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, and 4) the reforms and responses needed to address the economic and work-life needs of working women and all working people. The course will examine why work-life needs should not be viewed as individual and personal problems of workers – women, and men -- but folded into a wider economic context addressed by social policies.