The causes and consequences of precarious work for women: A city region study of Greater Manchester

The central aim of this PhD will be to investigate the characteristics of precarious work, its multiple causes and the consequences for gender inequalities in Greater Manchester. Through partnership with Oxfam GB the project seeks both to understand the complexities of economic prosperity and inequalities associated with work and employment and to ensure it is socially sustainable. It will combine a threefold concern with the nature of changing employment relationships, the gendered character of precarious work, and the durability of household connections with the world of work.

Key research questions are:

1. What are the standards for full-time permanent workers with respect to employment rights, social protection and representation and how have these changed in the last two decades?

2. What are the characteristics of 'precarious work' among different employment forms (e.g. low-wage full-time work, subcontracted work (including false self employment), variable hours work and temporary agency work)?

3. To what extent are women more at risk of precarious work than men?

4. What role do employers, public agencies, trade unions and civil society organisations play in fostering or restraining the spread of precarious work?

5. In what ways does precarious work contribute to a reshaping of the relationship between paid employment, gender inequalities and living conditions among the residents of Greater Manchester?