Women & Work

Brief history of women’s labor Pre-industrial revolution, work is inside the

home, self-sustaining Industrial revolution (1800’s), private/public

sphere Middle-upper class: Cult of True Womanhood Middle-lower class: “Second Shifts”

History Continued…

World War II—unprecedented labor participation

Women’s Labor Force Participation ¾ of women work full time Women constitute 46.8% of labor force Gender Wage Gap Occupational Segregation by Gender

Horizontal segregation “Pink-Collar” jobs

Vertical segregation

Glass Ceiling

In 2006, 10 Fortune 500 companies (2 %) had women CEOs or presidents

Globalization & the economy

Globalization: New technologies Shift from manufacturing to service-sector work Transnational Organizations (e.g., World Bank,

International Monetary Fund) “military-industrial complex”

Household Labor

Marxist analysis of women’s work in the home Capitalism 101: workers (proletariat), surplus

value, accumulated wealth “reproduce the labor power” “wages for housework”

Legalities

Equal Pay Act 1963 Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(early 1970s) Court interpretations

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act 2009

Legalities: Sexual Harassment 1986 Supreme Court: Sexual Harassment is

form of sex discrimination Quid Pro Quo Hostile Work Environment

Legalities

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1968) Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of

1990

Affirmative Action

When applicants have equal merits/assets, affirmative action policies encourage the hiring of women and people of color

Myth of meritocracy Benefits of Affirmative Action

Welfare

Image of the “welfare queen” The Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Act of 1996 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

5 year limit on assistance Work required

Welfare

Child care Domestic violence Disability Feminization of poverty Living wage Education Health insurance