Women, Men and Unpaid Work

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that although women are today more present in the workforce than in the past, women are still responsible for much of the unpaid household work as well as the raising of children. This paper examines this 'second shift' most women face everyday. The paper argues that although the domestic labour is undervalued and considered a 'labour of love', it is crucial in today's society and plays a large and important role in economic development, the free market and capitalism. The paper also shows that women's paid and unpaid work are connected and impact one another as well as the continuing gender inequality in our society.

From the Paper:

"Partly at fault for this is the society in general and in particular the family, as a basic unit of any society, because they send very specific sex-stereotyped messages about what the roles of men and women are in the society. Although the view on what the typical gender roles are has somewhat changed, both women and men are still expected to fit a certain stereotype. First, there is the traditional division between the public and the private sphere. Men are expected to be more inv9olved with the public sphere while women are to concern themselves with the private sphere, mainly within the domain of the households. Across the great majority of cultures, women are considered to be the 'gentler gender' and more 'suited for the nurturing and caring tasks of childcare. Traditional male and female family roles are still very present in society today and society and the media continue to encourage them."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Wilson, Susannah J. (2005) "Paid Work, Jobs, and the Illusions of Economic Security." In Nancy Mandell(Ed.) Feminist Issues: Race, Class and Sexuality 4th edition. 226-246 Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall
• Brym, Robert J. (1995). New Society, Sociology for the 21st Century, Toronto: Harcourt Brace & Company
• Nelson, A. (2006) Gender in Canada (3rd. ed.). Toronto: Prentice Hall
• Gazso, A. (2004) "Women's Inequality in the Workplace as Framed in News Disclosure: Refracting from Gender Ideology" Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 41 (4): 449 - 473
• Simpson, R. Sturges, J.,Woods, A. & Altman, Y.(2005) "Gender, Age, and the MBA: An Analysis of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Career Benefits" Journal Of Management Education 29 (2), 218-247

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