Changing Contours of Work : Jobs and Opportunities in the New Economy

by Stephen Sweet

• ISBN13: 9781412917445
• ISBN10: 1412917441
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-28
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

The latter part of the 20th century witnessed remarkable transformations in the workplace, including the emergence of new organizational designs, new technologies, new markets, new workers, and the globalization of production. Yet many practices that were developed in the old economy continue to perpetuate opportunity divides today.

Author Biography

Peter Meiksins is Professor of Sociology at Cleveland State University.

Table of Contents

List of Exhibits	p. ix
About the Authors	p. xv
Preface	p. xvii
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
Mapping the Contours of Work	p. 1
Scenes From the New Economy	p. 3
Culture and Work	p. 6
Structure and Work	p. 11
Class Structures	p. 12
Job Markets and Job Demands	p. 13
Demography and the New Labor Force	p. 16
Agency and Careers	p. 18
Conclusion	p. 20
How New Is the New Economy?	p. 23
The Old in the New	p. 24
A Post-Industrial Society?	p. 24
The End of Mass Production?	p. 26
New Cultures of Control?	p. 30
The End of Organized Labor?	p. 32
A New Global Economy?	p. 36
The Old in the New: A Summary	p. 38
Class Chasms in the New Economy	p. 38
Class and Opportunity in the United States	p. 39
Class and Opportunity in the Developing World	p. 44
Are International Economic Divides Widening or Narrowing?	p. 46
Conclusion	p. 51
Gender Chasms in the New Economy	p. 53
When did Home Work Become Nonwork?	p. 54
Women's Participation in the Paid Labor Force in America	p. 57
Gender Inequalities in Compensation	p. 59
Socialization, Career Selection, and Career Paths	p. 61
Interpersonal Discrimination in the Workplace	p. 68
Structural Dimensions of Gender Discrimination	p. 73
The Devaluation of Women's Work	p. 74
How Job Designs Discriminate	p. 75
Strategies to Bridge the Care Gaps: International Comparisons	p. 78
Conclusion	p. 84
Race, Ethnicity, and Work: Legacies of the Past, Problems in the Present	p. 87
Histories of Race, Ethnicity, and Work	p. 88
African American Exceptionality	p. 88
The Immigrant Experience	p. 90
The Magnitude of Racial Inequality in the New Economy	p. 93
Intergenerational Transmission of Resources	p. 96
Race, Ethnicity, and Economic Capital	p. 97
Race, Ethnicity, and Human Capital	p. 98
Race, Ethnicity, and Social Capital	p. 100
Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Capital	p. 102
Geographic Distribution of Race and Work Opportunity	p. 104
Racial Discrimination	p. 107
Prejudice and Discrimination	p. 107
Racialized Jobs	p. 109
Race, Ethnicity, and Work: Social Policy	p. 110
Affirmative Action	p. 111
Immigration Policy	p. 113
Conclusion	p. 117
Whose Jobs Are Secure?	p. 119
Risk and Work: Historical and Comparative Views	p. 120
How Insecure Are Workers in the New Economy?	p. 125
The Costs of Job Loss and Insecurity	p. 130
Responding to Insecurity: Old and New Careers	p. 134
Conclusion	p. 139
A Fair Day's Work? The Intensity and Scheduling of Jobs in the New Economy	p. 141
Time, Intensity, and Work	p. 142
How Long Are We Working? Comparative Frameworks	p. 145
Working Long, Working Hard	p. 151
Why Are Americans Working So Much?	p. 153
Nonstandard Schedules: Jobs in a 24/7 Economy	p. 157
How Americans Deal With Overwork	p. 160
Conclusion	p. 163
Reshaping the Contours of the New Economy	p. 165
Opportunity Chasms	p. 166
Class Chasms	p. 166
Gender Chasms	p. 167
Racial and Ethnic Chasms	p. 168
International Chasms	p. 169
The Agents of Change	p. 171
The Role of Individuals	p. 171
The Role of Activist Groups	p. 173
The Role of Organized Labor	p. 175
The Role of Employers	p. 179
The Role of Government	p. 182
The Role of International Organizations	p. 187
Conclusion	p. 192
Legislative and Regulatory Timeline of Worker Rights and Protections in the United States	p. 195
References	p. 201
Index	p. 231
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