Work to Welfare : How Men Become Detached from the Labour Market

In recent years vast numbers of men have moved completely out of the labour market into 'early retirement' or 'long-term sickness' and taken on new roles in the household. Based on new research the book explores the varied circumstances they are living in and challenges assumptions about the labour market.

This book provides a new perspective on joblessness among men. During the last twenty years vast numbers of men of working age have moved completely out of the labour market into 'early retirement' or 'long-term sickness' and to take on new roles in the household. These trends stand in stark contrast to rising labour market participation among women. Based on an unprecedented range of new research on the detached male workforce in the UK, and located within an international context, the book offers a detailed exploration of the varied financial, family and health circumstances 'detached men' are living in. It also challenges conventional assumptions about the boundaries between unemployment, sickness and retirement and the true health of the labour market. Work to Welfare represents an important contribution to debates about the labour market and benefit systems and will be of interest to readers and practitioners in social policy, economics and geography.