The Gender Dimension of Social Change. The Contribution of Dynamic Research to the Study of Women's Life Courses.

The transformations that are now taking place in women's lives are of great interest to social scientists and policy makers, yet we know very little about the impact of this social change over time. This new study uses longitudinal data - information gathered over a considerable period of time - to provide new insights into the changing dynamics of lives of women today. In particular, it explores the potential of longitudinal or life course analysis as a powerful tool for appreciating the gender dimension of social life.

The contributors view the data from a policy perspective and use comparative analysis from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan to expand our understanding of women's life courses in relation to both men and women and the system of inequality.

Elisabetta Ruspini is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy). Since 2012 she has coordinated the Research Section “Studi di Genere” (Gender Studies), part of the AIS (Associazione Italiana di Sociologia-Italian Sociological Association). She is a board member of the ESA Research Network 33 “Women’s and Gender Studies” and has extensive teaching and research experience on gender issues. She has published a number of books, articles and contributed papers to many conferences.