Shadow work can be described as the various forms of labour that exist outside of the formal economy or within the informal economy. Social Science plays a major part in bringing attention to the dangers, harms and hardships experienced by the individuals working in the informal economy. Social scientists have recognised that facts don’t speak for themselves and often require analysis and interpretation to produce meaning. This is especially true when dealing with shadow work and thus social scientists have developed concepts, theories and values to aid analysis and interpretation of facts. A number of different concepts have been identified to assist the interpretation of facts on shadow work some of these are power, risk, social structure and agency. Although these concepts all attempt to interpret the facts on shadow work, their approaches and the results generated differ significantly. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting these concepts by looking at how they are used in the course case studies to interpret facts on shadow work. I will be using the block method of essay writing as outlined in week 13.5.1 “structuring your essay” I will begin by looking at the concepts of Power, Agency and Risk. The concept of “Power” can be described as the capacity to act and can be understood in two related but distinct forms, as “power over” something exercised by one actor at the expense of another and as the “power to” or the capacity to act and take control over one’s own situation. Next “agency” is the capacity to act freely according to one’s own choices and desires. Whereas the concept of Risk or “Rational risk actors” are people who have the capacity to recognise and manage their own exposure to risk. (Mythen, G 2012, ... ... middle of paper ... ...use to help theorise the extent to which different kinds of workers have different capacities to exert power and agency over their own lives. Works Cited Mythen,G. (2012). The Uses of Social Science, Glasgow: The Open University Burnett,J and Whyte,D. (2011) The Wages of Fear: Risk, Safety and Undocumented Work, Leeds and Liverpool, Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS) University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool Sanders,T. (2005) Sex Work: A Risky Business, Collompton,(Devon),Willan. Bungay, V., Halpin, M., Atchison, C. and Johnson, C. (2011) ‘Structure and agency: reflections from an exploratory study of Vancouver sex workers’, Culture, Health and Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care, vol. 13 Habermas, J. (1984) The Theory of Communicative Action: Lifeworld and System, Boston, MA, Beacon Press
Work is a word that one hears on a daily basis on multiple different levels; work out, work at school, go to work, work at home, work for change. Society today is made of people that work hard every moment of their day from sunrise to twilight, these workers work for food, housing, family, education, and transportation. Essentially in today’s world if one wants something they must work for it, gone are the days where handouts are common and charity is given freely. The question then arises, who speaks for these voiceless workers that are often working so hard they have no time to voice an opposition? The authors Levine and Baca speak very well for these workers and for society in general, their narrators speak of not only work but of the world
This essay will be explaining the definition of sociology, the sociological factors of obesity using Symbolic Interactionism Theory and the Functionalism Theory and a description of the medical condition obesity and how it may affect individuals suffering from it.
I ask you now to imagine such a life. It is impossible for us to imagine having to flee our homes and family simply because our beliefs or lifestyle are not deemed suitable. Furthermore, paying thousands of dollars to travel across treacherous oceans in shabby boats. The fact that asylum seekers are prepared to remain locked up in detention centres and be deprived of their freedom must surely tell us of the horrific circumstances from which they have fled. ******** PUT IN CLOSING PARAGRAPH.
Many people in the UK coupled with media stories, tend to portray asylum seekers as bogus individuals who are here purely for economic gains (Teater 2014). This has led organisations such as Refugee councils and Refugee Action
Watson, T. (2008) The Meaning of Work. The Sociology of Work and Industry. London: Routledge.
Providing different approaches to the ongoing problem of prostitution in Canada is a difficult topic because there are several positives and negatives for each side of the argument. Throughout Shaver’s article, she investigates deeply into the lives of PWSI and the different struggles they endure each and everyday. Shaver begins her article with discussing the ways in which Canada has worked on bringing better legislations to the sex work industry. By changing the laws in Canada this may help with the many struggles women in the sex industry endure daily. Shaver highlights four main approaches ...
This assignment is about comparing and contrasting two different theories in social science understandings of work. The two theories are social division of labour and gendered division of labour and are centrally concerned on how work is defined, allocated and shared.
“Power is exercised only over free subjects, and only insofar as they are free. By this we mean individual or collective subjects who are faced with a field of possibilities in which several ways of behaving, several reactions and diverse compartments may be realized.” (Foucault)
Some theorists believe that ‘power is everywhere: not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere… power is not an institution, nor a structure, nor possession. It is the name we give to a complex strategic situation in a particular society. (Foucault, 1990: 93) This is because power is present in each individual and in every relationship. It is defined as the ability of a group to get another group to take some form of desired action, usually by consensual power and sometimes by force. (Holmes, Hughes &Julian, 2007) There have been a number of differing views on ‘power over’ the many years in which it has been studied. Theorist such as Anthony Gidden in his works on structuration theory attempts to integrate basic structural analyses and agency-centred traditions. According to this, people are free to act, but they must also use and replicate fundamental structures of power by and through their own actions. Power is wielded and maintained by how one ‘makes a difference’ and based on their decisions and actions, if one fails to exercise power, that is to ‘make a difference’ then power is lost. (Giddens: 1984: 14) However, more recent theorists have revisited older conceptions including the power one has over another and within the decision-making processes, and power, as the ability to set specific, wanted agendas. To put it simply, power is the ability to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In the political arena, therefore, power is the ability to make or influence decisions that other people are bound by.
Collins, R., & Makowsky, M. (2010). The Discovery of Society (8th ed.). New York, New York:
Since prostitution has been around there have been labels and stigmas behind the workers, their morals and the job itself. Leaving these men and women to be rejected rights, health care, insurance, etc. Weitzer observes, “[i]nstead of viewing themselves as ‘prostituted,’ they may embrace more neutral work identities, such as ‘working women’ or ‘sex workers’ […] These workers are invisible in the discourse of the anti-prostitution crusade precisely because their accounts clash with abolitionist goals.” Weitzer is hinting at the fact that these women and men see themselves as workers too, deserving of workers rights and protection, just as you and I would expect. But they are declined help and benefits because of the stigma following their line of work, based on societal values.
So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’ My firm belief is that there is a difference between child labour and child work and that in both cases the issue is whether or not the child is deliberately being exploited.
Sociology and psychology is the study of the mind and the environment around us which makes us who we are. These theories assist us to understand behaviour from individual and societal levels.
Power is defined in the course study notes as the “ability of individuals or groups to get what they want despite the opposition”. Power is derived from a variety of sources including knowledge, experience and environmental uncertainties (Denhardt et al, 2001). It is also important to recognize that power is specific to each situation. Individuals or groups that may be entirely powerful in one situation may find themselves with little or no power in another. The county Registrar of Voters, who is my boss, is a perfect example. In running the local elections office, she can exercise the ultimate power. However, in a situation where she attempted to get the county selected for a desirable, statewide pilot project, she was powerless, completely at the mercy of the Secretary of State. Power is difficult to measure and even to recognize, yet it plays a major role in explaining authority. In organizations, power is most likely exercised in situations where “the stakes are high, resources are limited, and goals and processes are unclear” (Denhardt et al, 2001). The absence of power in organizations forces us to rely on soley hierarchical authority.
The concept of informal sector stems from early 1970s, when economic anthropologist Keith Hart conducted his research in Ghana having found out it not only existed but expanded. Later it was accepted by ILO, (International Labour Organization) perceiving the range in which marginal workforce turned into the profitable enterprises. It was followed up with the International Labour conference in 2002 broadening its concept to an economy wide phenomenon involving the jobs and workers inside (ILO, 2013). There are also various definitions incorporated by the various economist and sociologists, but ILO Resolution of 2002 delivered the one commonly applied in many states: «The informal economy comprises half to three-quarters of all non-agricultural employment in developing countries. Although it is hard to generalize concerning the quality of informal employment, it most often means poor employment conditions and is associated with increasing poverty. Some of the characteristic features of informal employment are lack of protection in the event of non-payment of wages, compulsory overtime or extra shifts, lay-offs without notice or compensation, unsafe working conditions and the absence of social benefits such as pensions, sick pay and health insurance. Women, migrants and other vulnerable groups of workers who are excluded from other opportunities have little choice but to take informal low-quality jobs (ILO, 2002)”.