chapter 8 - final

Question 1

women in the workforce

Answer 1

• significant increase in the percentage of women in the workforce from 1930 - today
• women are overrepresented in working-class
• women increasingly self-employed
• women more likely to be engaged in non-standard work
• women in workforce are overrepresented in administration/clerical, service and retail sectors (‘the pink collar occupations’)
• women in professional/managerial classes more likely to be working as educators, healthcare providers or social service providers

Question 2

racialized/ethnic minorities in the workforce

Answer 2

• ethnic & racialized minority groups overrepresented in the working class (except those from a Jewish background and those of Arab and Chinese descent)
• members of ethnic and racialized minority groups in Canada receive less compensation for higher-status jobs

Question 3

capitalism (marx) and inequality

Answer 3

• Marx predicted increased polarization between the capitalist class and the proletariat but post War it looked like he was incorrect
• Keynesian period where huge inequalities didn’t exist due to an increase of social programs meaning the rich weren’t AS grossly rich

Question 4

the Protestant ethic and capitalism (1904)

Answer 4

• Protestant Germany was much more economically successful than Catholic Germany
• Protestantism promoted individualism and the idea that “your salvation was predetermined before you were born”
• concluded that Protestantism aided the advancement of capitalism because they were encouraged to work hard, live modestly, and work for salvation

Question 5

Calvinism

Answer 5

• predestination
• promoted working for salvation
• created anxiety surrounding whether you have been saved or not

Question 6

neoliberalism and inequality in work

Answer 6

• neoliberalism => increased inequality
• neoliberal-inspired changes to the work environment result in less security for workers such as contract, part-time and temporary work
• less access to workplace benefits
• privatization results in less compensation for the same job
• Government promotion of individualism and encourages looking after yourself rather than relying on the gov.

Question 7

janine brodie (2018)

Answer 7

• returning to an earlier time of regulated/restrained capitalism (Keynesianism) was not possible
• middle-class families don’t have the stability they used to because they say they are one large or unexpected bill away from financial struggle
• way less financial stability

Question 8

the ‘new’/knowledge-based economy

Answer 8

• the shift from manufacturing/industrial activity toward a service-based economy characterized by innovation, creativity, information exchange and flexibility
• more emphasis on providing service (i.e. doctors, nurses, teachers, bankers)
• emphasis on individualism: “me incorporated” and investing in yourself through education & experiences to market yourself as an attractive commodity
• individualism alienates because it increases competition

Question 9

good jobs

Answer 9

• better physical environments
• more intrinsically rewarding, e.g. challenging, autonomy/freedom, less surveillance and alienation
• more extrinsic; higher pay, benefits, security and promotion of opportunities

Question 10

lillian rubin - working-class men

Answer 10

• asked middle and lower-class men how they view their work
• men engaged in assembly line work/manufacturing described work as alienating, not well-compensated and “boring”
• viewed a good job as one that combined skill and strength while offering autonomy and reward
• middle-class men didn’t care about their wives working as much because they were financially stable and knew others would know she was working cause she wanted to, not b/c she had to
• lower-class men felt outside pressure that a good man provide for his family, so would see his wife providing and working as a failure on his part

Question 11

lillian rubin - issue of credit

Answer 11

• many poor families had necessities like cars and TVs but purchased them using credit, meaning they were paying them off over time with high interest rates
• promotion of the idea that some things are priceless and heavily promoting using credit to pay for these “priceless” items
• Lillian Rubin was critical of credit and using credit

Question 12

sennet and cobb - meritocracy

Answer 12

• critical of meritocracy because many people can work hard and never feel like they have “made” it or can provide the family without any extras on top of the minimal necessities
• for those who work hard but still don’t make it, they believe they must not be smart enough
• internalize the idea that if you aren’t succeeding, you attribute it as your fault and something wrong with you; personal failure
• redefine ‘success’ or develop consumption patterns (buy stuff) to compensate for their status

Question 13

structure vs. choice

Answer 13

• choice comes down to the fact we need higher payer jobs because we spend more money
• agency we may not have a choice on what jobs are available, but we have a choice with what brand clothes and cars we buy

Question 14

thornstein veblen - theory of the leisure class

Answer 14

• criticized capitalism for its promotion of materialism and ostentatious wealth
• the wealthy (‘the Leisure Class’) display their wealth and social standing through ostentatious displays of material possessions

Question 15

standards of decency

Answer 15

• standards of decency demand consumption; defensive consumption
• standard that our clothing is colour coordinated, our hair/beards are tidy, children engaged in organized sport/music lessons, holidays
• pressure to consume to demonstrate to the world that we care so much for our child we are giving them the best
• encouraged through shaming
• feeling compelled to let children have certain things and do certain things whether they can afford it or not so their children aren’t excluded