C.A.G.E.s & Paid Work Flashcards
How does the theoretical analysis of functionalism connect to employment?
In capitalism, jobs are distributed from good to bad based on merit. Workers are sorted only on the basis of their skill, education, and experience to obtain good or bad jobs. Free and open competition for jobs.
How does the conflict theory analysis connect to employment?
Core sector of employment is in banks, telecommunications, etc. Employs privileged groups. Periphery sector consists of jobs needing low skills or education. Employs more women, ethnic and visible minorities and young and old people.
What are some components of capitalism?
Private ownership of property and means of production. Continuous growth, exploitation, wage labour, commodity exchange.
How do Marxism and Capitalism connect?
Capitalism is a social system based on social relations of production between bourgeoisie and proletariat. The state protects their interests. Labour laws, bankruptcy laws, free trade laws, etc. Automation and mechanization replaces workers.
Explain the polarization between capitalists and workers.
Reduction of small business owners, increase wealth for owner of large businesses, deskilling of work (non qualified work) and increased alienation.
How has the Canadian industry changed?
Reduction of workers and businessmen in the past 100 years. More large corporations, more precarious work, more mechanization of agriculture. More outsourcing of industries. Globalization and free trade.
How are income, class and poverty connected?
Strong correlation between class and income. In a capitalist system like Canada, workers exchange their labour power for a wage. The worker produces what he needs as a means of subsistence and a surplus value which is the extra hours that profit the owner.
What is the glass ceiling idea in relation to the gender gap and paid work?
An invisible barrier that prevents women from obtaining top executive jobs. Women are still underrepresented in all decision making jobs.
Describe some components of unemployment.
Chronic unemployment in Atlantic provinces, like the fisheries. Non skilled workers are more easily laid off. Immigrants, visible minorities and young workers face higher unemployment rates.
Describe race and ethnicity and paid work and how they are connected.
Although still dominant, there is a progressive decline of the traditional British and Jewish dominance in business management and elite positions. More ethnic plurality in managerial positions, but many ethnic groups are underrepresented.
How does class and race intersect with employment?
Radicalized Canadians encounter a persistent color code that blocks them from the best paying jobs our country has to offer. Especially Mexicans, are overrepresented in agricultural work and have little legal protection.
How do the different social structures of class, gender, age, race and ethnicity affect access to good or bad jobs?
For example, Precious has less opportunities to get a good job because she is unhealthy, a single teen mother, undereducated, etc. Later in life she will probably face discrimination based on her class, gender, age and race.
What are components of age and unpaid work when young workers must adapt to the new post-industrial economy?
Flexible and non-standard work. Contractual and temporary. Lifelong learning to keep pace. Knowledge based skills. No job security, must manage their career.
How are age and unpaid work connected when talking about older people?
Along with young workers, old workers are concentrated in bad jobs compared to prime age workers (15-24). 65 and older are now competing with young workers for low paid jobs. Prime age workers are overrepresented in managerial and professional positions.
What is alienation?
A marxist concept referring to the miserable, meaninglessness and oppression of labour for the worker. This happens when they don’t know the purpose of the product, has no autonomy, workers are separated or have minimal interactions.
