The Sociology of Work Structures and Inequalities

by Vallas, Steven P.; Finlay, William; Wharton, Amy S.

• ISBN13: 9780195381726
• ISBN10: 0195381726
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Understanding the world of work is often difficult for students--particularly undergraduates--to grasp. The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities answers the need for a clear, engaging--and affordable--introduction to the basic concepts used by sociologists of work. Throughout, the text links the most up-to-date research and scholarship on work and occupations with their underlying sociological principles. Beginning with a thorough discussion of these core concepts, it goes on to show the historical developments of labor processes, thus allowing students to draw modern, real-world connections. The book also examines the contemporary work scene (both domestic and global), its concurrent occupational structures, and, all too often, its resultant inequalities. While remarkably accessible, The Sociology of Work does not shy away from challenging students with weightier sociological concepts, theories, and methodological issues, as well as less commonly discussed topics like Luddism, the role of gender in the industrial revolution, and the rise and decline of the workers' movement. Comprehensive and versatile, The Sociology of Work: Structures and Inequalities is ideal for courses in the sociology of work and occupations, and the sociology of organizations and corporations, as well as labor studies and human resource management. Features * Incorporates issues of gender and race throughout * Also includes separate and unique chapters on gender (Chapter 11), diversity (Chapter 12), immigration (Chapter 13), and globalization (Chapter 16) * Emphasizes the continuing importance of social theory, both classical and contemporary * Devotes an entire chapter to research methods and data sources

Author Biography

Steven Vallas is Professor and Chair of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University.
William Finlay is Professor and Department Head of Sociology at the University of Georgia.
Amy Wharton is Professor of Sociology at Washington State University and editor of the journal, Social Problems.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
The Sociology of Work: An Invitation	p. 3
The Primacy-of-Production Thesis	p. 5
The Sociology of Work: Core Principles	p. 9
Conclusion	p. 16
Theoretical Traditions in the Sociology of Work	p. 17
Classical Perspectives on Work and Society	p. 17
Contemporary Perspectives on Work and Society	p. 25
Perspectives on Work: Present Realities and Future Perspectives	p. 33
Studying Workers and Work: Research Methods in the Field	p. 35
Methods for Studying Work and Workers Official Statistics	p. 36
Surveys and Interviews	p. 50
Ethnographies	p. 54
Experiments	p. 59
Summary and Conclusion	p. 61
The Historical Development of Work	p. 63
The Industrial Revolution and Beyond: Culture, Work, and Social Change	p. 65
Understanding the Industrial Revolution	p. 66
The Meaning of Work in Preindustrial Societies	p. 66
The Rise of the Factory System	p. 69
Gender, Family, and the Factory System: The Rise of the Male Breadwinner Norm	p. 75
Conclusion	p. 79
The Second Industrial Revolution: Mass Production and Labor Management	p. 80
The Rise of Mass Production	p. 81
How Workers Responded to Mass Production	p. 87
The Invention of Personnel Management	p. 90
The Hawthorne Research: The Discovery of the Work Group	p. 95
Summary	p. 99
Occupational Structures	p. 101
Blue-Collar Workers and the Hidden World of Work	p. 103
The Skills of Blue-Collar Workers	p. 104
How Work Gets Done: Informal Work Practices	p. 110
Good Citizenship in the Workplace	p. 116
Summary	p. 119
Managers: Careers at Work	p. 120
The Managerial Occupation	p. 121
What Do Managers Do?	p. 123
Managers' Careers	p. 125
Gender and Racial Differences in Access to Power and Authority	p. 129
The Future of Management	p. 138
Summary	p. 144
The Professions: Power and Status in the Workplace	p. 146
Characteristics of the Professions	p. 148
Controlling Professional Work: The Professional Ethic	p. 154
Professional Careers	p. 159
Summary	p. 164
Service Jobs: Close Encounters with Customers	p. 165
Defining Service	p. 165
Service Industries and Service Occupations	p. 166
Characteristics of Service Jobs	p. 168
Control, Routinization, and Technology in Service Work	p. 171
Doing Deference: Personal Service Work	p. 173
Conclusion: Beyond the Service Economy	p. 177
Inequalities	p. 179
Unions in America: The Struggles of the Labor Movement	p. 181
The Glory Years of Industrial Unionism: 1933-1945	p. 182
The Decline of Unions After World War II	p. 189
The Costs of Union Decline	p. 197
The Future of Unions	p. 203
Summary	p. 204
Gender and Work	p. 206
The Rise in Women's Labor Force Participation	p. 207
The Sex Segregation of Jobs and Occupations	p. 210
Maintaining Barriers Between "Women's" and "Men's" Jobs	p. 212
The Gender Pay Gap and the Worth of Jobs	p. 219
The Future of Gender Inequality at Work	p. 224
Conclusion	p. 225
Managing Diversity: Racial and Ethnic Divisions at Work	p. 226
Race, Ethnicity, and the Sociology of Work	p. 227
Government Efforts to Uproot Racial and Ethnic Disparities	p. 238
Conclusion	p. 243
Immigrant Workers: Marginal Work, Networks, and Entrepreneurship	p. 244
Migration of the Poor: Mexicans, Central Americans, and Filipinos	p. 247
Immigrant Hiring: Networks and Gateways	p. 256
Immigrants and Entrepreneurship	p. 261
Summary	p. 267
The Future of Work: Key Issues and Social Choices	p. 269
Work and Family	p. 271
The Rise of Domesticity	p. 271
Work Time, Family Time, and Work-Family Conflict	p. 274
Cross-National Differences in Work and Family	p. 283
The Growth of Nonstandard Employment Contracts and the "24/7" Economy	p. 286
Conclusion	p. 288
The New American Workplace	p. 290
Trends in Occupational Growth: Some Evidence	p. 291
The Changing Employment Relationship	p. 296
The Participatory Management Movement	p. 301
Conclusion	p. 313
Globalization and the American Workplace	p. 315
Dimensions of Globalization	p. 316
The Meaning of Globalization for the American Worker	p. 319
Conclusions: Shaping Globalization	p. 333
References	p. 336
Index	p. 365
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