Bus 651 Work Organisation and Management

1. Bus 651Work Organisation and Management Gender and work

2. This lecture will • Consider how gender affects work opportunities and outcomes; • Explore the interconnections between paid and unpaid work; • Provide an opportunity to begin consideration of ethics and organisations. • Discuss common arguments about house work and living in a country with a female prime minister.

3. The Influence of Diversity on organisations • Contemporary workplaces are diverse. Gender is a source of diversity. Your text book defines gender as “The culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males found in the meanings, beliefs and practices associated with ‘femininity and masculinity’.” • Social dynamics of class, gender, race, ethnicity and disability underpin contemporary OB • The impact of these factors on life chances and work experience. • Understanding the significance of these issues puts the behaviour of individuals and groups in the organisation into a wider social context.

4. Gender, work and trade unions • Gender-based patterns of work and inequality are universal in industrial capitalism. • Family labour a feature of factory system. • Later, married women expected to withdraw from paid employment to look after the house/children. • Partly explained by activities of pre-industrial craft guilds and trade unions. (Remember unions have also fought to improve the wages and working conditions of women) • Gender-based patterns of work changed when work broke out in Europe in 1914

5. Gender and organisations • Women have comprised 50% of workforce in capitalist countries since 1980 but: • Wage differentials have changed little • glass ceilings and sticky floors • Sticky floors tell us more about the position of women • Gender harassment a feature of workplace discrimination

6. Debates about Gender • Management styles – some argue new styles favour women, others contend this is based on stereotypical views of female and male traits • Contrasting views taken by Wajcman and Meyerson and Fletcher • Business case against gender inequity - LePine et al. (2002) • Although inequity can lead to a decline in morale/performance, the market alone cannot be relied upon to ‘weed out’ unequal firms (Ngo, Foley, Wong and Loi) • Greatest impact of discrimination is at the ‘sticky floor’ level – poor workers often in the ‘Third World’ countries

7. Gender • Realities of the workplace have changed, ideas about gender roles have lagged behind. • What sections of the labour market do women tend to work in? • Gendered jobs • Let’s talk about service work • Growth in service work • Implications of the growth in part-time and casual work • Skill and Wages (Women are concentrated in low -aid sectors of the labour market. Thompson and McHugh, 2009 )

8. Gender and the interconnections between paid and unpaid work • Work may be ‘hidden’ because it is not recognised as ‘real work, primarily because those performing the tasks do not receive payments’ • Housework • Voluntary work • Unpaid domestic work • Interruptions to career

9. Domestic labourers: or ‘stand by your man while he sits down and has a cup of tea’ (Westwood) • Male breadwinner/ female homemaker • Problems with the dichotomy • Consequences • Power and economic status • Undervaluing of unpaid work • Serving the needs of capital • Limited opportunities • Unequal pay

10. A woman’s unpaid domestic work facilitates her partner’s career and leisure activity • Cooking • Study • Travel • Self-employed men • Emergency meeting (some of these points also facilitate the smooth turning of the wheels of capital) • Men's leisure time can create more work

11. The double burden: paid and unpaid work • Women in the workforce • Women do the majority of unpaid work • ‘in 1997, women undertook almost twice as much domestic and caring work as men. They completed, on average, 33 hours a week (this counts only the main activities and excludes secondary activities like caring for children while cooking).’ (Pocock, 2003)

12. The double burden • Long hours • Poor health • Fit for duty? • Limits labour market participation, career hierarchies and contributes to women working in poorly paid sectors of the economy. • ‘For many women, therefore, taking on paid employment has added to their sum of work, rather than brought about any equalising of work responsibilities with their male partners.’ (Noon & Blyton, 2002)

13. Women's unpaid work provides benefits to the state and to organisations • A fit and healthy labour force • Funding carers (topical issue)

14. Case study: the ASU and equal pay • Using the reading provided. • Summarise the case . • Step 1. What do I KNOW about this case? What are the key issues? Who are the key actors? What are they seeking to achieve? • Step 2. Then consider: What you are uncertain about? What don’t you understand about the case? • Step 3. What points of interest does it raise for you? What do you think the implications are for workers and organisations? What did you learn from the case study? Does it add to your understanding of the issues discussed during the lecture? • Please discuss this and step 2 with your fellow students. • Step 4. Class discussion and debate.

15. Links to ethics and CSR • Please read pages 21-24 of your text book. They expand on some of the points raised during the lecture. • For those interested in the issues we have discussed today, the case study on page 380 of your textbook is worth reading.