work identities Flashcards
social class identity through work
it is an important factor when determining social class identity
Gini - what we do is what we’ll become
work helps us to produce our identity, pay, pensions, working conditions all create a person’s status and lifestyle
Marxism - Bourdieu - social class is partly shaped by work as it can influence identity and leisure - different levels of cultural capital lead to popular and high cultures being enjoyed by different social classes
social identity and status in society is based on work
identity through work evaluation
PM - society no longer based on production, but instead consumption, rise in consumer society, consuming goods more important, work is just a means to an end that we invest into a lifestyle to gain identity
Bauman - when work ceases to be central axis of identity - new focus on identity created through consumption of goods and lifestyle choices
work security and upskilling
Doherty - work is not as insecure as suggested ‘work matters’ in identity - part time and full time employment has risen
rather than the idea of deskilling at work whereby work is downgrading and therefore identity is found in other things - upskilling where qualifications needed has increased
Doherty - job satisfaction was gained through work and acted as key source of social identity
work security and upskilling evaluation
work is insecure - postmodernism - portfolio workers - quitting jobs quickly
increased technology has led to deskilling - chatGPT - we look to other factors to create identity such as gender, ethnicity and consumption
work, status and leisure
social identity and status in society is based on work
Parker - work influences identities established through leisure choices
1. opposition 2. neutrality 3. extension
work provides us with self esteem and personal identity - Riach and Loretto
lack of work - identity - unemployment / redundancy have opposite effects on identity as work
Durkheim - leads to anomie
Gini - a lack of work rips away one of the anchors of adult life
Riach and Loretto - work provides self-esteem - leads to crisis - people try to maintain working identity to resist stigmatised label (Goffman)
Riach and Loretto - work is significant as for people out of work - dont want job with less skills (devaluing)
work, status and leisure evaluation
identity found in other parts - gender, ethnicity
radical feminism - women work part-time and therefore is not important source of identity
Scraton and Bramham - Parker’s notion of work as being paid is too narrow and ignores other forms of unpaid work eg housework and childcare
