This introduction to the special issue ‘Gender and Work in Twentieth-Century Italy’ draws on key strands of historical scholarship on gender and work, including women workers’ experiences, labour market discrimination, domestic work, the impact of gender norms, and ideas of masculinity and femininity on work identities. It traces the development of feminist influence within this scholarship, from making women workers’ experiences visible to challenging essentialist notions of gender identities. Drawing on post-structuralist and intersectional perspectives, particularly influenced by Joan Wallach Scott and Judith Butler, the scholarship on which this special issue is based understands gender as a system of power signified through language and social constructions, and builds on the critique of the dichotomies and essentialisations of traditional labour history, proposing a systemic and structural approach to understanding gendered experiences of work. By exploring the intersections of gender, work and power, this collection offers insights into wider European developments and challenges established historical concepts and narratives. It highlights the importance of understanding gender dynamics in shaping labour relations and social structures, ultimately contributing to a more nuanced understanding of labour and power dynamics in twentieth-century Italy and beyond.

《二十世纪意大利的性别与工作》特刊的介绍借鉴了性别与工作历史学术的主要内容，包括女工的经历、劳动力市场歧视、家政工作、性别规范的影响以及性别观念的影响。工作身份上的男性气质和女性气质。它追溯了女权主义在该学术领域内的影响力的发展，从让女工的经历变得可见到挑战性别认同的本质主义观念。借鉴后结构主义和交叉视角，特别是受到琼·瓦拉赫·斯科特和朱迪思·巴特勒的影响，本期特刊所基于的学术将性别理解为通过语言和社会结构所表征的权力体系，并建立在对二分法的批判之上以及传统劳动史的本质化，提出了一种系统性和结构性的方法来理解性别化的工作经历。通过探索性别、工作和权力的交叉点，该系列提供了对更广泛的欧洲发展以及既定历史概念和叙述的挑战的见解。它强调了理解性别动态在塑造劳动关系和社会结构中的重要性，最终有助于更细致地理解二十世纪意大利及以后的劳动力和权力动态。