This book asks what might be required of “a new sociology of work” and why such a project is vital for understanding people’s working lives at the start of the twenty-first century.

• A collection of essays examining the concept of work, questioning what constitutes work, and where work ends and other activities begin.
  
• Acknowledges the work that goes on outside formal employment, in the family, the community and within various institutions.
  
• Highlights the importance of understanding the broad range of experiences of work in order to provide a more meaningful account of people’s work practices.
  
• Draws on studies which explore how localized temporal, temporal and socio-economic factors shape people’s experiences.
  
• The editors develop a distinctive theoretical framework and draw together key conclusions and policy recommendations.