Relevance: Sociology: Works and Economic Life: Social organization of work in different types of society- slave society, feudal society, industrial /capitalist society. Formal and informal organization of work. Labour and society.
The globalization of economic production, together with the spread of information technology, is altering the nature of the jobs most people do. The proportion of people working in blue collar jobs in industrial countries has progressively fallen.
Fewer people work in factories than before. New jobs have been created in offices and in service sectors such as supermarkets and airports. Many of these new jobs are filled by women.
- Women and Work:
For the vast majority of the population in pre-industrial societies, productive activities in public and the activities of the house hold were not separate. Production was carried on either in the home or nearby, and all members of the family participated in work on the land or in handicrafts. Women often had considerable influence within the household as a result of their important in economic processes, even if they were excluded from the male relams of politics and warfare. Wives of craftsmen and farmers often kept business accounts and widows quite commonly owned and managed businesses.
Much of this changed with the separation of the workplace from the home brought about by the development of modern industry. The movement of production into mechanized factories was probably the largest single factor. Work was done at the machine’s pace by individuals hired specifically for the tasks in question, so employers gradually began to contract workers as individuals rather than families.
The idea of separate spheres public and private- became entrenched in popular attitudes. Men, by merit of their employment outside the home, spent more time in the public realm and became more involved in local affairs, politics and the market. Women became to be associates with ‘domestic’ values and were responsible for tasks such as child care, maintaining the home and preparing food for the family.
Rates of employment of women outside the home, for all classes, were quite low until well into the twentieth century. The female labour force consisted mainly of young single women, whose wages, when they worked in factories or offices, were often sent by their employers direct to their parents. Once married, they generally withdrew from the labour force and concentrated on family obligations.
- The growth-in- women’s economic activity
Women’s participation in the paid labour force has risen more or less continuously over the last century. One major influence was the labour shortage experienced during the First world War. During the war years, women carried out many jobs previously regarded as the exclusive province of men. On returning from the war, men again took over most of those jobs, but ht pre-established pattern had been broken. In the years since the second world War, the gender division of labour has changed dramatically. There are a number of reasons why the gap in economic activity rates between men and women have been closing in recent decades.
First, there have been changes in the scope and nature of the tasks that have traditionally been associated with women and the ‘domestic sphere. As the brith rate has declined and the average age of childbirth has increased, many women now take on paid work before having children and return to work afterwards. Smaller families have meant that the time many women previously spent at home caring for young children has been reduced. The mechanization of many domestic tasks has also helped to cut down the amount of time that needs to be spent to maintain the home. Automatic dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and washing machines have made the domestic workload less labour- intensive.
Secondly there are also financial reasons why a growing number of women have entered the labour market. The traditional nuclear family model- Composed of a male bread winner, female housewife and dependent children- now accounts for only a quarter of families in Britain. Economic pressures on the household, including a rise in male unemployment, have led more women to seek paid work. Many households find that two incomes are required in order to sustain a desired lifestyle.
Other changes in household structure, including high rates of single hood and childlessness as well as a growth in lone- mother house holds, has meant that women outside traditional families have also been entering the labour market- either out of choice or necessity.
Additionally, recent efforts to reform welfare policies, both in Britain and the United States,as well as India have aimed to support women- including lone mothers and married women with small children in entering paid work.
Finally, it is important to note that many women have chosen to enter the labour market out of a desire for personal fulfillment and in response to the drive for equality propelled forward by the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Having gained legal equality with men, many women have seized on opportunities to realize these rights in their own lives