Questioning whether the global trend towards market economics will constrain or enhance women's opportunities, this innovative interdisciplinary volume also looks at the consequences for women as workers, and beyond that to the social and cultural implications. A distinguished group of scholars - from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Europe - explores the issues which must be addressed before women can create a more empowering politics. Such issues include the continuing tensions between paid work in the market and unpaid work in the family and the extent to which Eastern or Western legislative frameworks, providing rights and benefits, have eased or exacerbated these tensions.

The paradoxical effects of modernising housework, the power and contestibility of global media representations of femininity, the experience of building a women's politics around consumption are all themes explored in this book which aims to contribute to an East-West dialogue among women.