Appalachian Studies Commons^™

 Gender relations have influenced the distribution, causes, and consequences of social and economic inequality in the Appalachian region.  Labor market studies that examine gender-based sources of inequality  greatly expanded our understanding of poverty in Appalachia for both  women and men (Billings and Tickamyer 1993). Researchers, who incorporate gender into their analyses, consistently have documented that  women are more vulnerable to poverty than men in this region (Latimer  2000; Tickamyer and Tickamyer 1991). The increased attention to gender  issues within Appalachian studies reflected the heightened awareness of  how gender - in addition to race, class, and ethnicity - shape economic  development …

 Many households and communities in rural Appalachia engage  in diverse economic strategies that often are ignored in analyses of  economic restructuring in the region (Gaventa, Smith, and Willingham 1990; Obermiller and Philliber 1994). This paper highlights  the complex nature of rural economies and particularly informal

 activities that intersect with kinship and community-based social  networks. Different scales of economic activity are examined as  shifts in global capital impact and are influenced by local strategies  that include formal as well as informal activities. This analysis uses  a case study of a network of home-based machine-knitters to illus-

 trate these social and spatial …

Locating Lydia's house in rural McDowell Country had been a challenge. We finally stopped at a small post office to ask directions and were directed to a house across a nearby stream. As we reached our destination, a dozen chickens, two goats, and several puppies greeted us in the front yard. Lydia stepped onto the side porch and invited us inside. "Be careful on the stairs," she warned, "my husband still hasn't fixed them rotten boards." Upon entering a small kitchen, Lydia showed us some pictures of the children in her home-based day care. In the living room, a coal-burning …

This paper analyzes the relationship between industrial restructuring and women's homework in Appalachia. Since the early 1970s, industrial restructuring in this region has led to substantial job loss in mining and manufacturing industries and increased employment in the service sector. These employment shifts, coupled with Appalachia's long tradition of informal sector activities, make homework a viable income-generating strategy for women. This paper first addresses some of the literature on the geography of gender and industrial restructuring. Second, women's homework is analyzed as an economic strategy in response to industrial restructuring. In the third section, the types and significance of women's …