El desarrollo de desigualdades sociales en el proceso de globalización : una comparación de los cursos de vida en Europa y Estados Unidos

Abstract

This article deals with the effects of the globalization process on individual life courses and employment careers in modern societies from an international comparative perspective. Empirically, we draw back to the results of various research projects which studied the effects of globalization on life courses for the first time. As the results show, the globalization process has impacted very differently on different phases of the life course. Especially qualified men in mid-career are broadly protected from the effects of globalization, while the careers of young adults, women in mid-life and older people have been much more affected by the globalization process. All in all, we can observe a strengthening of already existing social inequality structures in the globalization process. Still, the globalization process has not led to a convergence of modern societies. Globalization appears to be differentially filtered by deeply embedded national institutions. These 'institutional packages' entail variable strategies of labor market flexibilization which themselves differentially shape patterns of social inequality in modem societies. Especially societies with a social-democratic welfare regime had been successful in combating rising social inequalities due to the active involvement of the state. Other welfare regimes, instead, face an increasing segmentation between insiders and outsiders (that is, the conservative and fragmented welfare regimes) while individual resources have become increasingly important in countries with a liberal welfare regime. (English)