Call for papers: Women, identity and employability - One day conference

Call for papers

Women, identity and employability

One-day conference

University of Teesside, 7^th February 2008

Although there is a wealth of literature on women within employment, less focuses on women who are on the margins of the UK labour market and issues of employability. For many women, achieving satisfying and well rewarded employment is more complicated than simply eradicating external or structural barriers, and for some women particular life experiences and resulting conceptions of self can impact heavily on their employability. Previous research findings have tended to document the experiences of women who are already employed, or who are equipped with the necessary skills and qualifications to feel confident enough to approach the employment market, i.e. they have higher levels of personal capital. This conference starts from recognition of the need for critical attention to both the concept of employability and what it means for diverse and also socially excluded groups of women within the UK. For example, how do different women perceive their own employability? In what ways does identity impact upon employability? What personal development strategies are required to enter into and sustain employment? Are expectations about people’s employability gendered? How might employability issues vary for different socially excluded groups?

This event, hosted by the ADVANCE project (http://www.tees.ac.uk/depts/socialfutures/research26.cfm) and the Centre for Social and Policy Research’s Gender Research Forum (http://www.tees.ac.uk/depts/socialfutures/CSPRprofile.cfm), both based at the University of Teesside, invites papers on the broad theme of women, identity and employability. We welcome papers with a critical focus on gender in, for example but not exclusively, the following areas:

· Nature and meaning of employability for women

· Identity, diversity and employability

· Meanings of personal development for women

· Unemployment and ‘spoiled’ identities

· Innovative employability research methodologies

· Representations of the employable feminine body

Abstracts should be 250 words in length and can be theoretical, conceptual or empirical. Please send abstracts to Joan Heggie J.Heggie@tees.ac.uk by the 7^th December 2007.

Conference organisers:

Professor Eileen Green (University of Teesside)

Dr Joan Heggie (University of Teesside)

Ms Barbara Neil (University of Teesside)

Ms Carrie Singleton (University of Teesside)

Ms Gemma Quinn (University of Teesside)