Download CHAPTER 11 Work and the Economy CHAPTER OUTLINE

CHAPTER 11 Work and the Economy
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Introduction
I.
The Economy, Work, and the Work Force in America
.The Changing Economy
C.
D.
II.
1.
IV.
V.
B.
The Changing Work Force
The Changing Composition of the Labor Force
The Changing Meaning of Work
Work as a Social Problem
A.Unemployment and Underemployment
B.Dissatisfaction and Alienation
GLOBAL COMPARISONS: Unemployment Rates in Industrial Nations
C.
Work Hazards and Stress
III.
Work and the Quality of Life
.Work, Unemployment, and Health
Work and Health
VOICES: I'm Not a Worrier, But....
2.
Unemployment and Health
B.
Interpersonal Relationships
Contributing Factors
A.
Social Structural Factors
1.
The Capitalist Economy
2.
The Political Economy of Work
3.
The Political Economy of Unemployment
4.
The Organizational Context of Work: Unions
5.
Contradictory Values
6.
Contemporary Work Roles and Environments
7.
The Political Economy of Work Hazards
B.Social Psychological Factors
1.Attitudes
INVOLVEMENT: Fun and Games at Work
2.
Socialization
3.
The Ideology and Reality of Work
What Is to Be Done?
Summary
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Following their careful consideration of Chapter 11, students should:
1.
2.
be able to identify various ways in which our economy is changing
know how work and the work force are changing, and how problems of work detract from
people’s quality of life.
3.
understand the ways in which our economic system is detrimental to the well-being of many
Americans.
4.
be able to identify the ways in which the government and social roles contribute to the problems
of work.
5.
be able to discuss attitudes toward work and workers, as well as the ideology of the Protestant
work ethic, as aspects of the work problem in America.
6.
be able to suggest steps that can be taken to reduce the problems and make work more
meaningful.
KEY TERMS
Capitalism (p. 367)
Division of labor (p. 368)
Downsizing (p. 368)
Labor force (p. 368)
Unemployment rate (p. 372)
Underemployment
(p.
373)
SECTION SUMMARIES
The Economy, Work, and the Work Force in America (pp. 367-372)
The American economy, the nature of work, and the nature of the work force are vastly different
today from what they were at various times in the past. American industrialization occurred in the context
of capitalism. The global economy has become particularly important. Globalization means that
businesses find low-skilled workers in other nations who work for lower pay than do Americans. In the
competitive context of the global economy, a number of changes have occurred that are detrimental to the
well-being of many American workers, including downsizing. The labor force has increased enormously
over time. Since at least 1940, the labor force has been growing faster than the population. There are now
more than 30,000 occupational categories, which reflects an increased division of labor and work
specialization. Since 1900, sharp increases have occurred in the numbers of professionals, managers,
clerical workers, and service workers, and declines in the numbers of private household workers, farmers,
and farm workers. The education level of the work force has been increasing, women's participation in the
labor force has been expanding rapidly, and union membership appears to have declined in the last decade.
Many observers argue that the work ethic has declined and that Americans increasingly value their
leisure time. But, Americans are not rejecting work; they are rejecting meaningless work and
low-quality jobs.
Work as a Social Problem (pp. 372-377)
There are three basic problems associated with work in American today: unemployment
and underemployment, dissatisfaction and alienation, and work hazards. In 1998, 4.8 million
Americans were not in the labor force but indicated that they “want a job now.” Rates of
unemployment are higher for youth, African Americans, women, and blue-collar workers. In
general, expanding job categories have lower unemployment rates. Many workers are alienated,
but studies show greatest satisfaction among professional and white-collar workers. In 1998, 5.9
million injuries and illnesses occurred in private industry workplaces. Work hazards produce
work-induced stress.
Work and the Quality of Life (pp. 377-382)
Ironically, both working and not working can have adverse effects on people's health.
Work can have a negative impact on the emotional and physical well-being of workers through
feelings of alienation and high levels of job dissatisfaction. The stress of being forcibly
unemployed can be as serious as the stress of working in undesirable conditions or in an
unfulfilling job; it is detrimental to both physical and emotional well-being. Work-related stress
can also adversely affect interpersonal relationships.
Contributing Factors (pp. 382-391)
People in a capitalist economy are motivated by profit: workers' needs are subservient to
organizational needs, as reflected in practices like union-busting, downsizing, and the use of
temporary workers. It is important to understand the political economy of work, of
unemployment, and of work hazards. There is a basic contradiction between the values of hard
work and the American dream of success: The job market cannot meet this expectation.
Alienation and job dissatisfaction are inevitable due to the nature of the work roles and work
environments in contemporary society. The labor market cannot deliver jobs that fully employ a
highly educated labor force. Technology leads to tasks that are highly specialized, repetitious,
boring, and depersonalized–an especially severe problem for blue-collar workers. Some jobs
necessarily entail more risk than others. American ideology emphasizes the value of all work, yet
equal value is not assigned to all forms of work.
What Is to Be Done? (pp. 391-393)
Problems of worker dissatisfaction and alienation can be addressed through job
enrichment, flextime, participatory management, and employee ownership. Innovations such as
these appear to yield higher productivity, lower costs, and increased worker satisfaction, but
these measures draw skepticism and resistance from some Americans, including those in
management.
LECTURE/DISCUSSION TOPICS
1.
Matters relating to work and the economy are, by their very nature, related to the
concentration of power in certain organizations. Students tend to be confused about the power
structure in society because they have not been involved with it. In her article, "Can an
Individual Change Society? Empowering Students in a Context of Social Reality," (Teaching
Sociology, 22, April, 1994: 200-203, Nancy Netting describes a fascinating technique for
encouraging students to grapple with issues surrounding work, the economy, power, and social
change.
2.
No doubt your students have encountered contemporary emphasis on globalization in
other courses they have taken. Issues surrounding globalization and the growing international
economy are integral to all considerations of social problems. Should you choose to address
these topics in your assessments of work and the economy, here are a couple of recent sources
that may be of assistance: Ali Kamali and Basil Kardaras, "Approaching the Sociology of
Development" (Teaching Sociology, 24, January, 1996: 76-83) and Kathryn Ward, Women Workers
and Global Restructuring, (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, 1990).
3.
Have a proponent of capitalism and a defender of socialism to come to your class in
order to debate the advantages and disadvantages of each economic philosophy. It will be
preferable if both guests are knowledgeable economists so that both positions will have
credibility from the students' point of view. Then, you can mold and shape the discussion toward
specific social problems by demonstrating that there are assumptions in every economic system
that necessarily shape how members of that system are likely to approach social problems.
4.
Ask your students to vocalize their personal contacts with experiences like
unemployment, "whistle blowing," worker alienation, and being a consumer today. Use this as
an opportunity to illustrate how the decisions of a relative few in high institutional positions can
have enormous impact on the lives of "ordinary people."
5.
In Chapter 11, Lauer addresses the topic of work-based alienation. Interdisciplinary
research documents how important people's jobs are to their psychological well-being: Economic
security is the key to having a sense of controlling one's own life. On the other hand, becoming
unemployed can threaten and undermine this security and cause real problems for people. In
their book, Social Causes of Psychological Distress, John Mirowsky and Catherine Ross provide
research-based documentation for the negative impact of unemployment and the loss of personal
control in people's lives. This source may be helpful to you in preparing to address these topics
in class.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
1.
Divide the class into small discussion sections. First, have the class discuss actual cases
they are familiar with wherein unemployment lasted for four or more weeks. Then they can
discuss simulated unemployment situations, speculating on what might occur in their own
families if their father (parents) were out of work for six months. A common example of such
effects is that many students anticipate that they would have to drop out of school. Research
evidence suggests that the longer the period of involuntary unemployment, the greater the
psychological and interpersonal problems. These problems include depression, anxiety, a retreat
from social interaction, and a tendency toward political extremism. Have a leader from each
group compare the group's findings to this research evidence.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1.
The purpose of this exercise is for you to apply a conceptual scheme of work alienation in
order to understand why some students enjoy their summer jobs more than others. Use a
modified version of Robert Blauner's concept of alienation (Alienation and Freedom, Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1964). This scheme lists a number of conditions that should promote
job dissatisfaction, as follows:
A.
Powerlessness. How much control over the work process do you have? This includes the pace of
work, quality, freedom from supervision, control over the ordering of the tasks you have to
perform, control over choice of techniques for doing the job, the degree of physical movement
(are you stuck in a small area or at a desk all day long?), the degree of job security (do you have
an official contract?), and the amount of power over decision making (the existence of a union
sometimes helps lower alienation in this area).
B.
Meaninglessness. This has to do with the skill level and amount of specialization. Skill level refers
to how long it takes to learn a job. If all else is equal and you can learn to do a job in a few hours,
there is not much pride derived from the work–anyone can do it. Specialization refers to the
scope of activities of the job. Even if skill level is high, this can result in alienation.
C.
Social alienation. This is concerned with the quality of on-the-job friendships. Even if a job
involves severe meaninglessness and powerlessness, if an employee makes best friends with his
or her coworkers, this may be enough to make the job satisfying.
D.
Pay. If a job pays well, this may be enough to offset alienating conditions.
E.
Temporary jobs. If a job is viewed as temporary–and most jobs of college students are–this may
reduce the amount of overall alienation.
F.
Respect of supervisors for employees. If supervisors treat employees with little respect, this may
offset integration on other dimensions.
G.
Shift. Graveyard shifts sometimes result in high alienation if they interfere with valuable off-thejob relationships.
H.
Number of hours or sheer amount of work.
alienation.
These, if excessive, usually increase the level of
Select ten students; a random sample is not required for this project. Interview each one for
fifteen to thirty minutes. Ask each student to rate overall personal satisfaction with his or her
most recent job from a scale of 0 (extremely dissatisfied) to 10 (extremely satisfied). Then discuss
each of the eight dimensions of alienation with the student. Have each student discuss his or her
work situation in terms of each of these broad components of alienation. Take copious notes.
Which dimension(s) seems best in explaining the student's overall degree of
satisfaction/dissatisfaction? Turn in a report giving the rich details of how each student's work
experience conditioned his or her level of job dissatisfaction. Also, do you notice any patterns
between dimensions of alienation and levels of satisfaction?
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1.
Write an essay describing the various ways in which the economy, work, and the work force are
changing.
2.
Describe capitalism as an economic system.
3.
How has the American labor force changed?
4.
Describe the different ways in which work can affect the quality of life.
5.
Describe the contradiction involving Americans' belief in the work ethic.
6.
How has the meaning of work changed?
7.
Discuss the reasons that labor union leaders themselves give for the growing decline in the
proportion of workers unionized.
8.
How does the politico-economic system affect the problems of unemployment and work
hazards?
9.
In what ways do contemporary work roles increase job dissatisfaction and alienation?
10.
What are some measures that Americans could take to reduce unemployment, job hazards, and
job dissatisfaction?
FILMS AND VIDEOS
Working: The American Worker, 1994, 29 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). How do
employment and all of the factors associated with working contribute to a person's dignity? This
and other questions are tackled in this presentation, which examines the changing work
environment in our society and how American workers are having a more difficult time
maintaining their dignity, self-worth, and a steady income.
The Ad and the Ego, 1996, 57 min. (Insight Media). Through a series of clips from television ads, this
program traces the history of advertising and how these images play directly to consumers’
emotions and egos. Connections are drawn between the rise of consumerism, environmental
degradation, and blind commitment to economic growth.
Advertising and the End of the World, 1998, 47 min. (Insight Media). Advertising is the most pervasive
message system in America’s consumer culture. This presentation examines the power and
influence of advertising and how our cultural system is affected.
Booted Out!, 1993, 28 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). American jobs are streaming out of
the States to other countries and territories, sometimes with the "encouragement" of the U.S.
government. This program tells the story of the closing of Acme Boot's profitable Clarksville,
Tennessee, plant; explains the tax incentive (loophole) for moving the operation to Puerto Rico,
and shows the effect of a company pulling out on workers and the community.
Can't Slow Down, 1993, 28 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). This program examines
Americans' increasingly hurried lifestyle, working 160 hours a year more than they did in 1970.
And for what? Because of the urge to acquire, the pressure to achieve or be fired, the need to
achieve outside of the home, couples are too busy to talk to one another. This program evaluates
how Americans spend their time and how the constant rush is affecting everything from our
relationships with others to our health.
Consumer Seduction: From Romance to Reality, 1992, 22 min. (Insight Media). This program illustrates how
advertisers sell dangerous and addictive lifestyles in addition to their products. The myths,
messages, claims, and techniques of tobacco and alcohol advertising are evaluated.
Greed: Is It Necessarily Bad?, 1999, 46 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). This ABC News
program, hosted by John Stossel, takes a devil’s advocate approach to the phenomenon of greed.
Greed is redefined, discussing its value as the driving power in business that creates
opportunities for others as it churns wealth for itself. By pumping capital into the economy, by
providing jobs, and offering goods and services that may improve the quality of life, greed is
presented as the best thing to come along since philanthropy. This presentation is guaranteed to
stimulate some very interesting class discussion.
Jobs: Not What They Used to Be–The New Face of Work in America, 1995, 57 min. (Films for the Humanities
and Sciences). This program examines some fundamental and transforming changes occurring
with jobs and work in American society. The presentation includes comments from workers and
corporate CEO’s concerning a host of issues relating to the global economy.
Running out of Time: Time Pressure, Overtime, and Overwork, 1996, 57 min. (Films for the Humanities and
Sciences). This documentary is hosted by Scott Simon of NPR and focuses on the social impact of
time pressure and overwork on American society. The program contrasts expectations about
saving time with the reality that there are more time-savers, but less time to use them.
Taking on the Boys’ Club: Women in the Workplace, 1999, 46 min. ( Films for the Humanities and Sciences).
This ABC News program examines the workplace that has emerged in the latter decades of the 20 th
century: a workplace involving increasing numbers of women. This video deals with sexual
harassment and work-related discrimination in a variety of work-related contexts, including
corporate America and the military.
Whistleblowers, 1989, 24 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). This program tells the story of four
American whistleblowers, who found that the price of integrity is indeed high. As technologies
become more sophisticated and the consequences of corporate and government wrongdoing
more dangerous, individual integrity may be the last defense against disaster. The program
addresses the questions of how whistleblowers can be protected and how distinctions must be
drawn in the workplace between honesty and disloyalty.
Out of Work, 1992, 58 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). More and more Americans find
themselves unemployed. This program looks at the financial and emotional consequences of
unemployment and sensitizes the viewer to the changing times--that devoting a lifetime to one
employer seems to be a thing of the past.
Problems of Working Women, 1991, 24 min. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). This program
examines the pressures encountered by working women who are mothers of small children: their
salaries are too low to pay for proper care and supervision of their children during the work day,
inadequate or unavailable child-care facilities, and little or no help with household maintenance.
Taylor Chain I- A Story in a Union Local, 1984, 33 min. (NDAY). The film documents the gritty realities of a
seven-week strike at a small Indiana chain factory. We gain an inside view of the tensions and
conflicts inherent in a typical negotiation and walkout.
Taylor Chain II- A Story of Collective Bargaining, 1984, 30 min. (NDAY). This is an unprecedented, behindthescenes look at the actual 1981 collective bargaining sessions at an industrial chain plant in
Hammond, Indiana.