Have British Women Become More Work-Centred In The Past 16 Years? Dr Catherine Hakim Reveals All

By Mike Buchanan: In the next few days I hope to publish an 18-minute-long interview with Kay Burley of Sky News, recorded on International Women’s Day, 8 March. In the course of the discussion I raised the issue of Preference Theory – a theory published by Dr Catherine Hakim, a world-renowned sociologist, in 2000 – and her response was one I’ve encountered on other occasions, scoffing at the original study having been published 16 years ago, implying that things had changed over the intervening years. The idea that British women’s preferences with respect to paid employment might have changed substantially in the course of the past 16 years struck me as ridiculous, and I said as much, in my trademark diplomatic style.
In an effort to obtain an informed up-to-date view on the matter, I contacted Dr Hakim, [top left] and she kindly responded with this, for which I thank her.