fDenise has 11 post(s)

In Sassens essay, she explains that the leading professionals are in demand. Also, the more professionals that are outworking are directly linked to the low-wage immigrant and women workers. High paid professionals acquire a lifestyle that directly creates a demand for the low-wage worker such as nannies, repairmen and sex work. These immigrant workers also send money back to their home countries to create opportunities there. Globalization particularly in urban cities create the large gap in income where high paid upper class keep immigrants and women employed. The low wage immigrant/women workers do not have opportunities for advancement or other career opportunities. If they are not able to further their careers, they will stay at the low wage level.

In the dynamics of globalization when it comes to locations in urban areas, Women are taking on more high paying professional roles. Gentrifications in the urban areas are the cause of professionals moving in and not having the time to do household female/wife duties. These duties include cleaning/childcare. This is what keeps the momentum for the demand of the service worker in these areas. Women whether they come to these areas intentionally or not, are taking on the roles of a wife/caretaker/homemaker.

Globalization of economies is related to the system of women in these domestic work roles. Sassen believes we should look and economic globalization differently in order to see this side of it. Low-wage Immigrant and women workers are at the center of these systematic types of work in these cities. Instead of focusing on the hypermobility etc. We need to see why the demand of these immigrant workers continues to increase. The government is depending on these women workers whether they are here on their own or if they have been trafficked. The traffickers make money from the women and the government depends on these women to fulfill the demands for the domestic service industry. The profit making industry continues to fuel this system that keeps low wageworkers in demand but we do not view globalization in this way.

Corporations are big contributors to keeping women in clerical low paying positions. Corporations also contribute to the demand of service workers such as janitors, restaurant staff etc. Even if these workers are part of this cooperation’s, they are hired as help and remain viewed as a service worker or isn’t viewed at all. They are invisible to the cooperate professionals.

The racial wealth gap between Whites and African-Americans in the United States is extremely large. In addition, the gap continues to widen due to some of the factors found in this report. The factors show that Whites in the United States have and continue to have an advantage that keeps them in a beneficial position financially verses African-Americans. These factors are Homeownership, Household Income, Unemployment, Education and Inheritance. These factors are some of the main causes of the gaps, which have been only increasing the gap over time.

Owning a home is the American dream and one of the largest investments for American families. Many factors within the process of homeownership that African-Americans do not benefit from are keeping them at the lower end of the gap. Discrimination keeps African-American’s in certain neighborhoods where the equity might not increase as much as it would in a White neighborhood. This segregation has been set in place to make sure the wealth gap continues to benefit white Americans. White Americans are able to build equity and have access to credit, home loans and lower interest rates, which puts them ahead in being able to increase their financial portfolios.

Household income and unemployment go hand in hand since the discriminatory disadvantages that African-American’s experience in the workplace puts them in positions where they are making far less than White Americans. African-Americans are more likely to be on unemployment for a longer period of time and are more likely to have to use their emergency savings and therefore are not able to have extra money for investments.

Educational inequalities give White Americans a head start on future financial success because education in predominately African-American neighborhoods is poor, which then can hinder them from being prepared for higher education. African-Americans are also more likely to continue higher education due to finance obligations at a younger age. White Americans are more likely to graduate from college with less or zero debt and African-American’s graduate from college which a larger amount of debt and are not able to save or invest their money.

Since White Americans are able to save more money and have more investments, they are able to save money for the younger generations. They are able to give their children money to put a down payment on a home, help them in case of an emergency, pay for elite education. All of the factors that give their children an a head start with their financial portfolios.

I agree with these factors hindering non-white Americans from achieving fianancial success. I do think that systems have been set in place especially with segregation and school zoning to keep certain races in a particular area. Tax breaks will continue to be a major contribute to the gap as well.

Part A

In “Doing Gender By Giving Good Service” Hall identifies two different approaches on the relationships between gender and organizations which are gender-in-organizations and gendered organization.

In Hall’s essay on gender-in-organization she explains that systems that are in place at certain organizations create disadvantages for women from the early stages of recruitment. Also, there are both collective and individual ways that genders, particularly women take on roles in organizations. In collective gender we see that generally the organization has generally made a certain position a woman’s job. For example a retail clerk is collectively designated to a woman. Individually, gender-in-organization a woman would take on stereotypically female roles such as a caregiver or a mother like role. (Bell 453) Hall also describes that gender-in-organization is brought into gender-neutral workplaces by individuals themselves. She gives us the example of the a police woman who is supposed to be considered to be in a gender neutral occupation but the gender differences can easily be distinguished when sexual harassment is involved. This differentiates the gender roles and what is appropriate and not appropriate behavior. (454)

In gendered organization, organizations are assuming that the gender will play a role in all organizations and will be a part of the person’s job. They will use whichever gender in their particular position in order to successfully complete their task. Gendered organization has already assumed that your gender will be used in a particular way that will benefit the organization and specific clientele. One great example of this method is in the hospitality industry. A waiter or waitress, are given two different names not just one gender-neutral name for a server. Both genders are typically expected to better serve a client of the opposite sex. Waitresses are expected to appear talkative, happy and always smiling. It is also acceptable for a waitress at certain organizations to flirt with male clients. Waiters (men) are expected to do the same with female clients but are allowed to be assertive in this industry. The level of flirting and assertiveness can vary depending on the individual and what the restaurant prefers.

Bell found that gendered organization explanatory power is greater because it defines what male and female roles are in each organization. Organizations, which in her essay are restaurants, the waiters or waitress are able to be in these generalized gender roles but are able to play around with the degree of stereotypical behaviors depending on the restaurant. Gendered organization provides a wider spectrum of issued that can be researched.

Part B

Budig and England give five distinctive cause of how mothers are being penalized in the workplace. Interrupted job experience do to caretaking of children, taking lower paying jobs that are convenient for mothering needs, lack of productivity due to exhaustion from mothering, employer discrimination and the association of motherhood that leads to a lower paying job.

Women lose job experience when they have children and have to care for them. They either temporarily leave work, go from full time to maternity leave or from full time to part time in due to child rearing or order to care for their child. This time lost creates a loss in work experience and loss of on the job training creates a long-term effect for their future wage earnings. The lapses in jobs also contribute to lower wages verses someone who has continuously worked and “proves” that they have more experience.

Some women chose mother-friendly jobs, which are most commonly lower paying jobs in order to balance their lives as mothers. These jobs pay less but the compensation acceptable to mothers because they are able to attain a flexible schedule. The mother-friendly job is less demanding or less hours are required of them. This would be beneficial in exchange for being able to spend more time with their children. If a mother would take on a demanding job with many hours, they would me more likely to be unfocused or distracted due to being tired and household demands, which will eventually make them less productive at work.

The penalty of discrimination by employers is broken down into two different ways. Discrimination based on taste, which would be that an employer just thinks they just would not like to employ mothers, or if they believe their clientele would not like them. The other way an employer can discriminate a mother would be the statistical discriminations. In this method of discrimination, an employer would use generalized data to measure the productivity level that someone with children would likely have. This would help the employer determine/penalize the mother or whichever type of person they are discriminating against and offer them a much lower wage than someone who does not have children.

Motherhood in general can cause someone to be on the lower end of the pay scale. Having a lower education level therefore bearing more children at an earlier age can put a mother out of the job force for a long amount of time, which will eventually lead to a lower wage in the future.

In Nickel and Dimed Ehrenreich uses an old fashion method of journalism but going undercover as a low wageworker that “just” got off of welfare. I think there are benefits and drawbacks to this way of conducting research.

Ehrenreich particularly did not conduct her research in an authentic way because she did have some “cushions” to try to make her research a little easier. Generally a woman just coming off of public assistance would not have the luxury of having access to a vehicle. Ehrenreich was able to find affordable long term housing in motel while she looked for a place to live which seemed to be standard for people with low income in Portland Maine where she decided to conduct some of her research. Maine was a location that she chose in order to conduct her research in a area that was very “white” in order to avoid the pressures of being in a low wage work force with other races that would be typical workers in the service industries. Maine was so white that this would not be an issue. She discovers that this is a similar place as some of the other locations that she has been conducting her research. Similar jobs to attain with similar wages for the unskilled woman.

Ehrenreich was able to get jobs as a dietary aide and also as a maid without having any experience in these fields. She is able to meet people/Co Workers at these jobs and is able to learn a different perspective of some of the other struggles these individuals face such as limited funds for childcare or the uneasiness of having to leave your child with someone that you do not fully trust. Also, the struggles of not being able to take a day off because your job will not be secured if you miss a day of work. Being able to have an insider’s perspective of her co-workers was the real benefit of putting herself in this position to conduct this research.

I do partially agree that Ehrenreich did not need to leave her home to fully conduct this research. I think that she could have gotten testimony from different people of all races and from a few different age groups in order to get some stories of what it is like to live as a low wage worker. Besides the benefit of meeting the people she worked with and knowing their stories, I feel like Ehrenreich being a white woman in America who is educated has a slight upper hand compared to others that are living below the poverty line without even realizing it.

Ritzer describes rationalization with an example of a system that has been developed by one of the biggest fast food corporations in the world. McDonalds has evolved to create a comfortable and efficient fast-food dining experience that has also shaped society and developed a system in to accommodate today’s family dinner style.

Ritzer breaks down Mcdonaldization into a system of five dimensions. The first dimension is efficieny. In the Mcdonaldization process, the main goal is to take advantage of the modern day family limitations of being able to sit down and have a home cooked meal by creating the most efficient dining experience. (Ritzer 372)

The next dimension is Predictability. In Mcdonaldization, a standard menu and taste has been created to ensure that no matter which Mcdonalds you visit, you will get an almost identical experience with looks, service and taste. This creates comfort and trust so that people continue to visit anywhere they are and can receive that feeling of familiarity. (Ritzer 374)

The third dimension is calculability and quantity. This component in Mcdonaldization, we experience the emphasis on size of a burger or the number of customers that McDonalds has instead of focusing on the quality of the food. This is just another method used to detour people from possibly nutrition and focuses more on supersizing meals and popularity of the restaurant. (Ritzer 375)

The fourth and fifth dimension is substitution of non-human technology and control. In the Mcdonaldiztion process, the key is to have that assembly line like system in order to be quick, efficient and to give that uniform experience at any Mcdonalds location. Some examples of this are the use of machinery to make the food or to train the employees that they do have in a way that makes the experience the same because they are trained to behave in a robot like manner. Saying the same exact thing and using machinery to do most of their work. It is just a matter of pushing buttons rather than thinking. This rational system ultimately creates the control over their workers in order to make them both quickly replaceable or to phase out the need for a human being. Not only controlling the employee but also controlling the customers maneuvering throughout the restaurant or drive thru.

All of these dimensions of rationalism are similar to the theories of Max Weber. Weber’s description of the Spirit of Capitalism explains the process by which capitalist have a system generated to control consumers in the similar fashion as Mcdonalization. Also, in the theory of the Protestant work ethic, we see that the idea of making things by hand or being a craftsman is looked down upon or becomes obsolete. The Protestant work ethic is a more elite way of living such as Mcdonaldization with technology.

In the reading by Terkel, we see many examples or stories of different working individuals with jobs that society my have deemed low class or not meaningful. I think it is interesting that when reading this piece, I notice examples of workers in service or labor jobs that have become stuck in the routine of the job thinking that what they do is not important because society has created this hierarchy of what a meaningful job might be. Terkel makes a point to let the reader know that no matter what the job is, if it means something to the individual, the love for that job will carry on even when they are not exactly working or on the clock. That no matter what the job is, one can feel fulfilled or consider what they do for a living meaningful as well as putting food on the table.

Terkel gives a great example of how we have been trained by society to look down upon service jobs when he mentions the waitress who loves what she does but still gets asked why she is just a waitress as if that is not something to be fulfilled by or as if she is “too good” to settle for a waitress job. (terkel xv) I can agree that this is something I have thought about when I see someone has potential or that I find really intelligent, I realize that I have to think about what work means to them and me so that I do not make assumption of someone’s work ethic.

Terkel mentions that one should try to work on improving their lives and should want their children to earn a living with prestigious jobs. As a society, we have been thought to look down on jobs in service (hospitality or labor) so much that we’ve even used different titles to describe the jobs. I totally agree with this because I too have done it myself. Labeling the work title differently just so we do not feel like we are just a receptionist, just a sales person etc.

The idea of having good work ethic seems to be more important than having happiness or feeling fulfilled in the work that we do. Instead of working a job and feeling like a robot like most of us do. I think Terkel is trying to show us that real life matters like actually being happy with the work that we’re doing will give us that feeling of pride whether we are on work duty or not.

In Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management, he explains the fundamentals of Scientific Management. In an obvious view of an example of a successful business, you would believe that the employer and employee work together to produce whatever the object is to make the business successful. This would make both the employer and employee happy. The worker would work quickly and to the best of their ability in order to increase productivity and in return the employer can sell more units of the commodity. The employer would get the best profit and also pay the worker a decent wage. The employer and employee should both be happy with this outcome and therefore should be working together.

Instead of working together to prosper the business, employees are working slower in order to stretch out the work over time. Taylor believes that the only way to reach maximum prosperity is for the employee and employer to recognize that they have the same goal and must work quickly to keep high wages for they worker and better profit for the employee.

Taylor mentions that even if an employee is a quick worker, he will decrease his speed when he realizes that other workers are not working as quickly and still earning the same pay. This is called “soldiering”. Other employees may become upset if one worker is showing more enthusiasm and working much quicker and are able to produce double or triple the amount of work than the rest of the workers. If they work too quickly, this can also show the employer that they may possibly not need as many workmen. This happens when the relationship between employees and employers is poor and both are just doing what they have been told or taught by elders. Soldiering has been hindering the success of many industries

But the employees are not the only ones creating a challenge for reaching prosperity. The methods of the employers have also been to work people as much as they can for the least bit of money in order for them to gain a bigger profit.

By properly managing these workers by getting rid of employee “soldiering” and the employers “sweat-shop” like ideals of management. Taylor believes that it would be possible to be competitive, and lower production cost. There are many more people who are spreading the soldiering way to work. The employers also must be educated properly on management to create proper leaders in many industries.

In Karl Marx’s “Wage Labour and Capital”, Marx was able to breakdown his theory by using examples of specific types of laborurs, he was able to characterize the capitalistic labor power system. The commodities, labor hours and wages were explained well with his use of a weaver. The capatisitic give the labor tools to produce a product to be sold as a commodity. The laborer does not get a percentage of the products, but gets a small amount of earnings from the employee before they even sell the commodity.

Even if the capitalist sells the commodity, they will be earning far more than what wage was paid out to the weaver. Also, if the capitals does not sell and earn profit, they have still been successful because they have the power of labor by having the weaver doing work for them. So whether the capitalist are losing money, they still have power in strengthen capitalism.

The weaver then does not view that he is under the control of a capitalist. The weaver instead believes that he is exchanging his expertise or skill for a wage or earning. The weaver sees this as a means to live. Sees this as a small sacrifice and focus more on the life they live after work is over. Enjoy life and resting. Marx uses the example of a silk worm in comparison to the laborer. A laborur continues to work to earn a wage and live would be like a worm continuing to spin silk to livelonger.

Marx is able to explain that as a capitalist, the best security is to use the money they already have from other commodities, and invest a small portion of this in order to earn or gain more labor power. The actual product that is produced is not always a commodity, but the laborur is the actual product or labor power. The laborur does not belong to the capitalist, yet he belongs to where he is now categorized in the separate working or labor class. He becomes a member of that classification.

It takes a small amount of what that 1% already has to continue to develop the spirit of capitalism. To continue the methods by any means in order to grow labor power. As long as the methods continue, the spirit of capitalism will continue to be strengthened. We work to produce products but are also contributing to the purchasing of commodities and in return makes capitalist so profitable. Wages are nothing within this whole system of increasing the control of labor power.

In the making of The U.S Working Class, Braverman describes how the working “class” has been formed over the centuries into different categories. We see in history, during the times of slavery, fewer percentages of actual labors (mainly because the laborers were slaves). As time went on, those slaves eventually became owners of their own farms. Braverman then gives statistics on how the small percentage of actual workers began to increase verses the amount of entrepreneur or business owners. When we think of the business owners who are sometimes also as skilled as the actually people they employ, we still are used to separating them from the idea that they are workers. This thought has been created over time as a social way of looking at people as two separate things and giving them separate titles (employer and employee). This hierarchy is one of the social aspects of the way the working class was labeled.

Braverman describes the methods of training over time and the shift in how learning a trade or craft would typically take many years of apprenticeship. Now, it has become standard to make jobs simple so that an employee would be able to be trained within a couple of days, weeks or months. This has created a culture in which people in the working class are more like robots that can be changed out without creating a disruption in the entire operation.

In order for the capitalistic methods of society to continue, productive work must be controlled. One example was with the reclassification of gender roles in the work place. For example, socially classifying certain types of jobs as a woman’s job my perhaps control the pay grade, keep the level of skill at an entry level to make the person on the job as replaceable as possible. In productive work such as businesses that produce goods that may in return benefit the entire society or in return bring money to the government are forms of productive work.

Some examples that Braveman uses as unproductive work are those that do not bring the government and profit, such as any type of public assistance programs or benefits to banks and insurance companies. These industries have a large number of working class people, but these industries are likely to have workers who are less skilled therefore paid less

All of these changes in the working class system have contributed in some way to increase the power of capitalism. Braverman is explaining how the working class is somehow steering the direction of the working class into positions and labels that make the working class replaceable. These small changes have been occurring for hundreds of years are all contributions to the creation of the U.S working class and enforcing a capitalistic society.

The use of the quote from Benjamin Franklin that gives examples of what Weber describes as the Spirit of Capitalism is very detailed. The excerpt seems to be less about work ethic and more about the “spirit” of how capitalism is. For example, making sure your debt is paid on time. “ The most trifling actions that affect a man’s credit are to be regarded. The sound of your hammer at five in the morning, or eight at night, heard by a creditor, makes him easy six months longer; but if he sees you at a billiard-table, or hears your voice at a tavern, when you should be at work, he sends for his money the next day; demands it, before he can receive it, in a lump.” (Weber pg15) This best describes a western modern version of capitalism. Where you should not feel like you own everything you have because you worked for it. The creditor or your boss will always have the upper hand and is in some way controlling everything you do and truly owns everything you have. Franklin is reassuring in his words by encouraging honesty and responsibility.

When Weber describes rationalism, he describes that material things and greed drive men. Particularly in the west, the capitalistic rationalism would not be as powerful if not for both the rationalism and the “spirit” of capitalism. “For without the rational capitalistic organization of labour, all this, so far as it was possible at all, would have nothing like the same significance, above all for social structure and all the specific problems of the modern Occident connected with it.” (Weber pg. xxxvi). Social Status and the common separation of economic class is a large contribution to the connection of capitalism in the west.

Weber connects both forms of capitalism to the ideas that in the western culture, there has been more or less of an upper hand created in order to keep the power. With the ideas that religious influences could influence work ethic, Weber rejects that the modern western capitalism has any of these religious ethics involved. The spirit of capitalism that has been created encourages a different attitude toward capitalism. It makes a man more responsible. It reminds me of the power of the credit score. If you do not owe, you do not own. Your credit score follows you and can determine if your American dream of owning a house and a car will be fulfilled or not.

Weber, M. (2001). The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. London: Routledge.