Chapter 13

Chapter 13 starts off by defining the term work as physical or mental activity that accomplishes or produces something, either goods or services. It is stated that those who live modestly are losing economic ground because of macro-level variables such as deindustrialization, globalization, and offshoring. Deindustrialization is defined as a process of social and economic change resulting from the reduction of industrial activity, especially manufacturing. Deindustrialization is defined as the growth and spread of investment, trade, production, communication, and new technology around the world. Offshoring is defined as the sending of work or jobs to another country to cut a company’s costs at home. The chapter then goes into discussion about social class, wealth, and income. Wealth is defined as the money and economic assets that person or family owns, while income is the amount of money a person receives, usually through wages or salaries, but it can also include rents, interest on saving accounts, dividends on stocks, or the proceeds from a business. It is stated that across the country many families are struggling just to get by. They have had to come up with different techniques just to survive. Some of the techniques include taking low-paying jobs and working non-standard hours and part time. This chapter defines discouraged workers as those who want a job and have looked for work in the preceding year but have not searched in the past four weeks because she or he believes that job hunting is pointless. The chapter also defines under-employed workers as people who have part-time jobs but want full-time work or whose jobs are below their experience, skill, and education levels. Absolute poverty is not having enough money to afford the most basic necessities of life. Relative poverty is not having enough money to maintain an average standard of living. It is stated that one of the most devastating consequences of poverty is homelessness. The chapter goes into detail explaining the characteristics of the homeless and why families are homeless. The chapter then goes into explaining the changes that have occurred in women’s labor force. The chapter also breaks downs the pros and cons of two-income families and trailing spouses. A trailing spouse is the partner who gives up his or her work and searches for another position in the location where the spouse has taken a job. We also learn that there is a considerable amount of inequality that exists in the workplace that is based on sex, race, and ethnicity. There have been recent changes in the workplace that include being able to bring your child to work and telecommuting. Telecommuting can be defined as working from home through electronic linkups to the central office. Finally, the text explains the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.

I found the section that talked about telecommuting to be the most interesting to read about. I find it so interesting to see how our society has been changing in the past years. Being able to work from home through electronic linkups to the central office is such a phenomenal invention. It was interesting to read about how people in our society are actually utilizing this invention.

The question that I have for the class is how do you feel about companies policies that let employees care for babies in the workplace. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not.