This week we look at problems associated with work in a modern, capitalist economy. A sociological analysis of this topic allows us to make connections between structural economic shifts and the experiences of workers in various social locations. Your text contextualizes such shifts by examining the Industrialization Revolution, globalization, the Information Revolution, and the emergence of a service based economy. All of these changes across time present workers with various challenges.
Unemployment and Underemployment
One problem for workers in a capitalist economy is unemployment of course (see page 370-372). The availability of jobs can wax and wane, depending on a variety of factors that affect supply and demand in the labor market. We saw a stark example of this, albeit a relatively extreme one, with the COVID-19 health crisis. It provides a dramatic illustration of how structural changes in an economy can leave millions jobless, despite them having a strong work ethic. The Great Depression of the 1930s was an example of a similar pattern, as was the Great Recession of 2007. You can see how this problem is clearly a public issue, not merely a personal trouble.
The problem of unemployment is well known, but less discussed is the problem of underemployment. This term refers to a situation in which the economy provides jobs to large segments of the population that fail to pay a living wage, offer little security, safe work conditions and little or no benefits. Many have criticized jobs in the “gig economy” (Uber drivers for example) as falling into this category, as well as many service sector jobs, such as Wal-Mart, the largest employer in the United States. On this point, see the section “The Low-Wage Recovery” on page 372, and the social policy box on page 366 Low Wage Jobs: On (Not) Getting By in America. Unemployment is a problem often expressed in quantitative terms (the unemployment rate), but the concept of underemployment shows that the quality of jobs available is also important to consider.
The tool that working people have used to mitigate the problems of unemployment and underemployment throughout American history is labor unions: worker organizations that seek to improve wages and working conditions through various strategies, including negotiations and strikes. During the industrial era, unions in the United States were prominent, and won many gains that changed the standards for work that we often take for granted today. Listen to (or read) https://www.marketplace.org/2009/09/04/where-did-weekend-come/ below about the American weekend for an example
Take note of the section “Labor Unions” on page 331-334 to gain a better understanding of this history. And, most relevant for problems with underemployment today, pay special attention to section Unions Today; comparing patterns of unionization currently with those of the past. The video below by Robert Reich will also help to illustrate the weakening of unions over time and its implications for work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=402m57yFjTM
Alienation and Isolation
As foundational theorists in sociology, Karl Marx and Max Weber both worried about the rise of capitalism as an economic system and way of life. More specifically, they theorized that capitalism would lead to the problem of alienation for workers. But they held different assessments as to the nature of this problem.
Marx held that capitalism would lead to alienation among workers because it rendered them powerless and isolated from one another.
Weber held that the larger ethos of rationalization throughout modern, industrialized societies led to depersonalization at every turn in the interest of efficiency.
You’ll read a bit more about these theories of alienation on 326-327 in the section on Workplace Alienation. The video below may also help you think about the idea of alienation. It is a bit surreal, and there are different ways to interpret its’ message. Think about these theories of alienation as you watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxUuU1jwMgM
QUESTIONS
1. Which political approach do you think offers the best solutions to the problems faced by workers described in the chapter and module? Explain why.
2. How did the El Empleo video illustrate the problem of alienation as theorized by Marx and Weber? Which theory do you find more convincing? Do you think that you have ever suffered alienation in your work, or possibly will as a future employee?
Answer the questions above with supporting examples and detailed references to what you have read in the text and learned from the module.
