The Sociology of Work and Leisure Revision Session.

The Sociology of Work and Leisure

Revision Session

Work and leisure are difficult to define…

• Work: What we do because we have to (usually for money)

• Leisure: What we choose to do in our free time

• Non-Work: Activities we do that are neither work nor leisure

• The problem is what is work for some, might be leisure for others (eg Cooking, Childcare etc)

Where do we work?

• There are two very different economies that exist:– The formal economy includes all employment

that is legal and taxed.– The informal economy has two elements:

• Hidden economy – this is non-taxed work and sometimes illegal.

• Domestic/Voluntary (or community) economy –

work is done for love or duty and is unpaid.

Sectors of work• The Primary sector is involved with the

collection of raw materials: farming, mining and fishing.

• The Secondary sector is involved with making things: factories and workshops.

• The Tertiary or Service sector is concerned with providing a service: eg salespeople, teachers, lawyers, nurses, shop workers, office workers.

• In recent years mining and manufacture have declined, whilst there has been a huge increase in service sector jobs

Changes in work• In the Eighteenth and

Nineteenth centuries a process of industrialisation took place and Britain became know as “The Workshop of the World”

• Britain was once important for primary industry: mining, steel and docks.

• This work has died away and now people are involved in service work: call centres, supermarkets and fast food outlets.

Changing Technology

• As technology has improved, machines have been used more and more in manufacture and industry

• The machines began to replace the workers and goods were produced quicker and cheaper.

• As the machines improved mass production became possible – producing large quantities of a product in a factory using assembly lines

Assembly Lines ‘… each man and each

machine do only one thing ... the thing is to keep everything in motion and take the work to the man not the man to the work’

Henry Ford 1925

Fordism• Mass Production and the use of assembly

lines led to the division of labour – workers only knew how to do their own particular task, and might not know what was happening in the rest of the factory.

• This meant that the work was repetitive, and the workers would have no sense of pride in the finished product

• Traditional skills were lost• Also management closely monitored

aspects of work

Alienation

• This lead to alienation

• People do not feel part of the workplace and take no pride in their work.

• People work for money and not because they take pride in what they do.

This has also led to:

• Deskilling:• Deskilling occurs where traditional skills

are replaced by jobs that require few skills.

• Reskilling:• Reskilling occurs when workers are

retrained in order to acquire new skills in order to use new technology. These jobs are usually well-paid.

New Technology• Mechanisation • consists of replacing

workers with machines. This is more common within the manufacturing sector (e.g. car-making).

• Automation • occurs where robots and

automated machinery perform work on the production line. Again, this is more common in the manufacturing sector.

• Computerisation • occurs where computers

have taken a far greater role in the workplace, such as in the retail sector.

Post-Fordism

• Sociologists claim that most firms adopt a post-Fordist structure. This consists of work that has become less repetitive due to the impact of computerisation. Firms also require a well trained and flexible labour force. The level of choice available to the consumer is greater than that offered by the Fordist method.

The workforce has also changed to fit in with the changes in what jobs are available. Workers have been divided into two types

• Core workers posses the skills and educational qualifications demanded within the UK economy. The position of core workers within a firm is relatively secure, and their level of pay is usually high.

• The periphery workforce consists of those with few academic qualifications. They are a ‘buffer’ against fluctuations in consumer demand. As such, the employment status of the periphery workforce is usually temporary. The level of pay for those in the periphery workforce is considerably lower than that of core workers.

New work patterns

Newer work patterns are developing:• Women more• Flexi-work where people work shifts or

choose their time.• Short-term so people move from one job

to another• ‘McJobs’ where people do not make

decisions but follow a script: ‘have a nice day!’

More unemployment

Unemployed people are likely to be:

• Unskilled and unqualified

• Older than average or younger

• Male

• Ethnic minority

• Experiencing depression and ill health

The Consequences of UnemploymentIndividual• Loss of Income • Loss of Status• Loss of self-respectThe family• Poverty → Particularly affects children• Stress → Places relationships under strain

The community• Decline in sense of community → Decay in buildings and local services

→ Closure of local shops/businesses→ People leaving the area

• Scape-goating and Racism• Higher levels of crime and anti-social behaviourSociety• Lower tax revenues and increased spending on social security → reduction

in government spending in other areas → decline in NHS, social services, police etc.

• Decline in position of workers• Formation of an underclass• Increase in crime• Increase in social problems

Gender

Women are often:• Low paid• Part time• Doing two jobs• Working in female

type services: caring, cooking and cleaning

• The Glass Ceiling is still a problem

Men are often:• Higher paid• Full time or not

working at all• Working in male jobs:

heavy work, construction and machinery

The Glass Ceiling

• Doesn’t just affect women

• Ethnic minorities are affected by this too, also due to discrimination