Shifts in the Social Contract Understanding Change in American Society [Paperback]

Examining the changes in society in the United States, Beth Rubin explains how the current era differs fundamentally from the post-World War Two period; how and why that change has occurred; and what its meaning is to everyday life. She traces the changes from a domestic to a global economy, the transformation of the workplace, and the impact that these changes have had on how other people are experiencing social aspects of their lives: their families and interpersonal relations, their communities and their experience of the culture of mass society.

Examining the changes in society in the United States, Beth Rubin explains how the current era differs fundamentally from the post-World War Two period; how and why that change has occurred; and what its meaning is to everyday life. She traces the changes from a domestic to a global economy, the transformation of the workplace, and the impact that these changes have had on how other people are experiencing social aspects of their lives: their families and interpersonal relations, their communities and their experience of the culture of mass society.

PART ONE: SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Society in Transition
The American Dream
Accord in the Post-World War II Era
End of a Century, End of an Era
Implications
PART TWO: FROM INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY TO FLEXIBLE ECONOMY
The Labor-Capital Accord
The Breakdown of the Accord
The Emerging Economy
Conclusions
PART THREE: WORK IN THE FLEXIBLE ECONOMY
Labor Market Segmentation
Work in the Accord Years
The Stable Workplace
Work in the Post-Accord Years
The Flexible Workplace
The Challenge to Education
Conclusions
PART FOUR: FLEXIBLE FAMILIES
From Pre-Industrial Families to Modern Families
Accord-Era Familil3Î