Work, Employment, & Society Midterm

Chapters 1-5

Why is work considered a major social institution?

It shapes identity, daily life, social relationships, inequality, and health.

Approximately how much of a lifetime does the average person spend working?

About 20 years.

How can work affect social inequality?

It can reproduce inequality or allow for social mobility.

Why is defining work difficult?

Because many important forms of work are unpaid or informal.

What types of work are excluded from traditional economic definitions?

Unpaid domestic work, schoolwork, and illegal work.

How do Tilly and Tilly define work?

Any human effort that adds use value to goods or services.

Which forms of work does sociology recognize as important?

Paid, unpaid, and illegal work.

How do sociologists differ from economists in studying work?

They focus on work as a social activity, not just an economic one.

What is a key sociological question about jobs?

Who gets good jobs and why.

Why is the division of labour important to sociologists?

It reflects inequality by gender, age, and class.

What type of work system existed before capitalism?

Feudalism.

How was work organized in feudal society?

Around households and tasks, not wages or hours.

What kind of relationship did serfs have to land?

They were tied to land owned by a lord but had some control over work.

How was labour divided by gender in feudal society?

Men farmed or practiced trades; women did household and support work.

What change helped lead toward capitalism?

Farming became profit-oriented instead of survival-based.

What major shift defined the Industrial Revolution?

Movement from rural work to factory work.

How did time change during industrial work?

Work became organized by the clock.

What happened to worker autonomy in factories?

It decreased significantly.

Why was child labour common during early industrialization?

Factories needed cheap, controllable labour.

How did industrialization affect skilled work?

Skilled tasks were broken into simpler steps.

What new roles emerged in industrial capitalism?

Managers and administrators.

What production method increased efficiency in factories?

Assembly lines and mass production.

How did gender divisions persist under industrial capitalism?

Men held most paid jobs; women remained in unpaid or limited paid work.

What two concepts are central to Marx’s theory of work?

Alienation and exploitation.

Why are workers alienated under capitalism?

They lack ownership, control, creativity, and social connection.

How does alienation affect workers psychologically?

It limits human potential and can be damaging.

What is surplus value?

The unpaid labour that becomes profit for owners.

Why does exploitation cause conflict?

Workers produce value but receive only part of it.

What is rationalization?

The drive for efficiency, predictability, and control.

What are key features of bureaucracy?

Hierarchy, rules, and division of labour.

What concept explains the spread of fast-food principles to society?

McDonaldization.

What does calculability emphasize?

Quantity over quality.

How does McDonaldization affect workers?

It reduces autonomy and creativity.

What changed ownership structures in large corporations?

Ownership shifted to shareholders.

Did managerial control reduce workplace conflict?

No, power and profit priorities remained.

What defines a postindustrial economy?

Growth of service and knowledge work.

Why does inequality persist in postindustrial society?

Many service jobs are low-paying and insecure.

What does Human Capital Theory emphasize?

Education, skills, and individual investment.

What assumption does Human Capital Theory make about opportunity?

That everyone has equal opportunity.

Why is Human Capital Theory criticized?

It ignores structural barriers like gender and race.

What kinds of jobs increased in the service economy?

Part-time, contract, and temporary jobs.

What is neoliberalism?

An ideology promoting privatization and deregulation.

Who is most affected by precarious work?

Women and racialized workers.

What does labour force participation measure?

The share of people working or seeking work.

Why is unpaid work excluded from LFP statistics?

It is not part of the formal labour market.

What types of work are often missing from official statistics?

Domestic labour, caregiving, volunteer work, and subsistence work.

What is the hidden economy?

Unreported or illegal income-earning activities.

What are the three main industry sectors?

Primary, secondary, and tertiary.

What does the NOC classify?

Occupations based on tasks performed.

What is a labour market?

Where workers supply labour and employers demand it.

Why do sociologists argue there are multiple labour markets?

Opportunities vary by region and social group.

What is a key characteristic of a “good job”?

Job security and benefits.

Why do sociologists focus on job quality?

It shapes inequality more than employment alone.

Which industries tend to pay the highest wages?

Goods-producing industries.

What is the gender wage gap in Canada?

Women earn about 81% of men’s earnings.

What type of capital refers to networks and connections?

Social capital.

How is cultural capital learned?

Through family and education.

How do forms of capital interact?

They can be converted into one another.

What defines the primary labour market?

High pay, stability, and benefits.

Why is mobility limited between labour markets?

Structural barriers restrict movement.

What is the “second shift”?

Unpaid domestic work after paid employment.

What is the family wage ideology?

The belief men should earn enough to support a family.

What is occupational segregation?

Men and women working in different jobs.

What does the glass ceiling describe?

Invisible barriers to women’s advancement.