Shaping futures for women

This paper, written from a social policy perspective, is predicated on the author's assumption that every adult needs three anchors: work, family and friendship. It briefly examines some of the major future research reports, their premises and their failure to take into consideration altered social roles and altered relations between the sexes. The three-anchor framework is applied to economic, political and psychological roles and institutions in relation to needs, tasks and risks in life and family cycles. It juxtaposes some danger signs with hopeful signs in projecting future scenarios.