Working and mothering in Asia

The male bread-winner was once the dominant role model in middle- and upper-class families worldwide. Increasingly, however, rising costs of living plus the desire to work have drawn women into wage employment. This is especially so among those with higher education and keen to build careers for themselves. The experiences of women in different parts of Asia are no exception. Although many of them now work, this has not taken them away from their role as mothers nor lessened their familial responsibilities. The essays in this book examine how larger structural, economic, historical and social/cultural forces impact on Asian women in their everyday life as mothers and workers.