Changing Contours of Work

Download or read book Changing Contours of Work written by Stephen A. Sweet and published by Pine Forge Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1. Mapping the Contours of Work 1 Scenes From the New Economy 3 Culture and Work 6 Structure and Work 11 Class Structures 12 Job Markets and Job Demands 13 Demography and the New Labor Force 16 Agency and Careers 18 Conclusion 20 2. How New Is the New Economy? 23 The Old in the New 24 A Post-Industrial Society? 24 The End of Mass Production? 26 New Cultures of Control? 30 The End of Organized Labor? 32 A New Global Economy? 36 The Old in the New: A Summary 38 Class Chasms in the New Economy 38 Class and Opportunity in the United States 39 Class and Opportunity in the Developing World 44 Are International Economic Divides Widening or Narrowing? 46 Conclusion 51 3. Gender Chasms in the New Economy 53 When did Home Work Become Nonwork? 54 Women's Participation in the Paid Labor Force in America 57 Gender Inequalities in Compensation 59 Socialization, Career Selection, and Career Paths 61 Interpersonal Discrimination in the Workplace 68 Structural Dimensions of Gender Discrimination 73 The Devaluation of Women's Work 74 How Job Designs Discriminate 75 Strategies to Bridge the Care Gaps: International Comparisons 78 Conclusion 84 4. Race, Ethnicity, and Work: Legacies of the Past, Problems in the Present 87 Histories of Race, Ethnicity, and Work 88 African American Exceptionality 88 The Immigrant Experience 90 The Magnitude of Racial Inequality in the New Economy 93 Intergenerational Transmission of Resources 96 Race, Ethnicity, and Economic Capital 97 Race, Ethnicity, and Human Capital 98 Race, Ethnicity, and Social Capital 100 Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Capital 102 Geographic Distribution of Race and Work Opportunity 104 Racial Discrimination 107 Prejudice and Discrimination 107 Racialized Jobs 109 Race, Ethnicity, and Work: Social Policy 110 Affirmative Action 111 Immigration Policy 113 Conclusion 117 5. Whose Jobs Are Secure? 119 Risk and Work: Historical and Comparative Views 120 How Insecure Are Workers in the New Economy? 125 The Costs of Job Loss and Insecurity 130 Responding to Insecurity: Old and New Careers 134 Conclusion 139 6. A Fair Day's Work? The Intensity and Scheduling of Jobs in the New Economy 141 Time, Intensity, and Work 142 How Long Are We Working? Comparative Frameworks 145 Working Long, Working Hard 151 Why Are Americans Working So Much? 153 Nonstandard Schedules: Jobs in a 24/7 Economy 157 How Americans Deal With Overwork 160 Conclusion 163 7. Reshaping the Contours of the New Economy 165 Opportunity Chasms 166 Class Chasms 166 Gender Chasms 167 Racial and Ethnic Chasms 168 International Chasms 169 The Agents of Change 171 The Role of Individuals 171 The Role of Activist Groups 173 The Role of Organized Labor 175 The Role of Employers 179 The Role of Government 182 The Role of International Organizations 187 Conclusion 192.