Women and the Labor Force
The tremendous increase in womens participation in the labor force in recent decades has been the foundation for the new womens movement that began in the 1960s. This newer movement has had a diversity of goals, but one underlying objective to break the restrictive molds in which societies have cast women. This is based on the premise that with a single exception-womens capacity for childbearing-the differences between the sexes no longer provide a valid basis for the division of labor.
In todays society it is quite evident that womens roles have changed tremendously and one needs to only examine the current labor force to authenticate this (Dunn et al, 2009). For instance, women are now occupying managerial positions in a vast majority of organizations. Here, they are delegated with roles which put them at the helm of authority unlike in the past. The past indicates a primitive culture which subjugated women to particular roles which were considered to be of lesser significance than mens roles. Many women in modern society are indeed on a mission to rid society of these primitive and restrictive structures. The world today judges an individuals success on their capability to contribute to the overall development of the economy and society. If women are to achieve this success, different measurements like the consideration of womens individual capabilities have to be applied in the division of labor. A woman ought to be judged according to her levels of intelligence and other essential qualifications. Consequently, the division of labor is no longer a matter of gender roles but a reflection of womens individual capacities.
Women as part of the society should be included in the growth of the overall society. This claim does present a valid argument and one reason for eliminating sex differences as determinants of the division of labor is that this very notion is completely distorted. These past gender roles no longer work for todays society. If indeed they brought about positive effects in the modern society their existence would not be questioned. However, society has gradually evolved leaving no room for these roles.
The division of labor in traditional societies which was entirely based on various gender roles had been a consequence of simplistic connotations on what these societies perceived to be of importance to them. The traditional societys economic plan was mainly determined by the possession of physical strength. Following this, men found themselves playing the roles of sole providers. Their emphasized physical strength led them to taking up most economic activities in particular communities. On the other hand, women took up child rearing, nursing and home maintenance roles. These roles were founded on very basic principles and in traditional societies these principles were enough for survival. However, the modern world has no room for these basic mentalities and the growing technology has been proof of that. Physical strength has been rendered insignificant with the increased use of machines. In addition, most economies have resulted to the use of individuals skills in determining their labor force.
Engels and Leacock (2001) explain that the gender roles assigned to women in traditional societies did not amount to any form of power. In essence, women were in charge of the home and were expected to provide food for their families. They were also given the unique role of child rearing which was basically delegated due to the underlying sex differences. Despite the immensity of these roles and their essential in the survival and maintenance of societies, women were never considered as valuable. On the other hand, men were highly valued and often imposed their will on women. Such traditions hold no grounds today. Womens reproductive capacities are not used as reasons to deny them employment in various economic sectors. On the contrary, there are legal entities established to ensure that such discriminations do not occur. For instance, the Organization of Women Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) have struggled endlessly in establishing equal rights for women in Canada (Jhappan, 2002).
Modern economies are dependent on mental skills as opposed to physical capacities. This has been made possible by the major emphasis on education. Educational opportunities are given to both men and women. This was not always the case in the past where women were denied access to education while men were granted easy access and even incentives to ensure they further their education. Where there was little awareness created on gender equity, women received less education and even though they gained literacy it did not guarantee them an equal platform with their male counterparts. The reason behind such outcomes was the past gender roles assigned to women. The traditional society assumed that women were less capable and investing in their education would only amount to losses. For what was the value in educating a girl who would then get married. With the modern society dissuading these primitive beliefs, such stereotypes have gradually declined. Women are now seeking educational opportunities and excelling equally to their male counterparts. This has led to a shift in the division of labor determinants. Today it is unlawful to deny educated and qualified women jobs on the basis of their sex differences.
It is also crucial to refer to future implications of these traditional gender roles as they have been in the past. The future holds prospects of a further industrialized and modernized society which will account for extensive shifts in many gender roles. Quite evidently, these roles are already changing. Regardless of their child bearing roles, women have developed ways of incorporating full time careers in their lives. They have managed to do so because they have gained alternative ways of doing this. It is no longer mandatory for women to nurse their children, technology has made this possible. Moreover, the field of medicine has advanced technology in reproductive health. Women have the option of using technology to have children and develop families. Such technologies include the use of artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer and genetic engineering. Despite the controversies which exists over the use of such technology it still does not warrant women to be treated differently in the labor market. Also, their increased economic independence has ruled out the need for marriage simply for the sake of its economic benefits (Kimmel, 2000, p. 115).
Leonardo (1987) asserts that the modern society exhibits a division in the interpretation of labor aspects and their impact on womens lives. There are those who perceive women to be goal oriented workers while others only see them in a nurturing role. The former are highly driven in advocating for womens equal rights especially in regard to career and job opportunities. They similarly fight for higher wages and better treatment of women in the workplace. Actually, sex discrimination laws have emerged as forms of authenticating the fight against discrimination and the fostering of gender equality. The merging of both perceptions of women as nurturers and workers is not only possible but also very practical. Women should not be considered as either domestic workers or career women. The fact is that they are both and have found a way of ensuring that their lives are fully functional. Creating a separation of these roles is only used in instigating gender discrimination.
The continued insistence on sex differences in the division of labor is also a form of escapism especially in respect to men who are not willing to take up their new roles as domestic workers. The society has delegated domestic roles to women and failed to acknowledge the domestic responsibilities that men bear. A modern society calls for equality and the delegation of responsibilities with disregard to gender. However, when division of labor focuses on womens domestic and reproductive capacities they provide concealment for the existing inequality. A counter argument for this claim may perhaps look at physical capacities that are propelled by sex differences. The labor market might tend to have careers which rely on the physical strength said to be possessed by men. However, such an argument presents major obstacles in identifying the presence of such careers in the modern society mainly because technology has made these formulae for the division of labor insignificant. Moreover, men themselves do not necessarily require physical strength. In fact, physically strong men might prefer less laborious careers like body building as opposed to hard manual work.
This claim presented at the beginning of my essay is true and sex based division of labor is not valid in todays society. According to Kimmel (2000, p.50) sex based division of labor was vital for the conservation of traditional society. However, the growing complexity of society warrants different concepts and principles for the determination of labor. Modern technology has played a big role in enabling women to fight the restrictions which have prevented them from achieving equality. Birth control technology, institutionalized child care and family planning among others have enabled women to detach from pure domesticity and instead ventured into the public field. For instance, women drop their children in day care institutions as they juggle family life and their careers (Dunn et al, 2009, p. 404).
In conclusion, there is emerging evidence from the above discussion which details the changing trends in the division of labor. Coming from a past of primitive traditional societies which did not have room for womens equal rights, the modern society is gradually embraces these changes. Sex based determinants of the division of labor have outlived their social significance and instead there is the concept of individual capacities. Women are allocated labor with regard to their educational qualifications, intellectual capacities and skills acquisition. This continued trend will instigate further changes in the future which are bound to close the gap between the treatment of men and women in the labor force.
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