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The Discovery of 'Unpaid Work': the social consequences of the expansion of 'work'

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  • Susan Himmelweit

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University)

Abstract

This paper questions the dichotomy of work/nonwork. It examines the way in which the category of work was expanded by feminists and economists to include much domestic activity, and considers some of the consequences of this expansion. It argues that the discovery of unpaid "work" involved an uncritical application and validation of a concept of work abstracted from a model of commodity producing wage labor in manufacturing. However, this concept excludes much of what is distinctive about domestic activities, such as their caring and self-fulfilling aspects. Inequality between households has become a conduit for the construction of needs in a form in which "work", and in particular work for money, is needed to satisfy them. Some consequences of this tendency are examined together with the policy concerns which would need to be addressed in order to mitigate its deleterious effects. The development of a feminist economics which transcends the polarization of life into "work" and "nonwork" is argued to be vital in this process.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Himmelweit, 1995. "The Discovery of 'Unpaid Work': the social consequences of the expansion of 'work'," Open Discussion Papers in Economics 6, The Open University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:opn:wpaper:6
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Marina Sánchez, 2015. "De la reproducción económica a la sostenibilidad de la vida," Revista de Economía Crítica, Asociación de Economía Crítica, vol. 19, pages 58-76.
    2. Sarah-Louise Ruder & Sophia Rose Sanniti, 2019. "Transcending the Learned Ignorance of Predatory Ontologies: A Research Agenda for an Ecofeminist-Informed Ecological Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, March.
    3. Lourdes BENERÍA, 1999. "The enduring debate over unpaid labour," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 138(3), pages 287-309, September.
    4. Singh, Neera M., 2015. "Payments for ecosystem services and the gift paradigm: Sharing the burden and joy of environmental care," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 53-61.
    5. Susan Donath, 2000. "The Other Economy: A Suggestion for a Distinctively Feminist Economics," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 115-123.
    6. Hendrik Van den Berg, 2015. "La ortodoxia económica desalienta el estudio del comportamiento colectivo," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 17(32), pages 13-37, January-J.
    7. Margaret Lewis & Kimmarie McGoldrick, 2001. "Moving Beyond the Masculine Neoclassical Classroom," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 91-103.
    8. Paula Rodríguez-Modroño & Lina Gálvez-Muñoz & Astrid Agenjo-Calderón, 2015. "The hidden role of women in family firms," Working Papers 15.01, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Department of Economics, Quantitative Methods and Economic History, revised Dec 2015.
    9. Maria S. Floro, 2012. "The Crises of Environment and Social Reproduction: Understanding their Linkages," Working Papers 2012-04, American University, Department of Economics.
    10. Katharine Venter, 2011. "Fathers ‘Care’ Too: The Impact of Family Relationships on the Experience of Work for Parents of Disabled Children," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(3), pages 66-81, August.
    11. David Brennan, 2006. "Defending The Indefensible? Culture'S Role In The Productive/Unproductive Dichotomy," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 403-425.
    12. Dan Wheatley and Zhongmin Wu, 2011. "Work, Inequality, and the Dual Career Household," NBS Discussion Papers in Economics 2011/03, Economics, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University.
    13. David H. Ciscel & Julia A. Heath, 2001. "To market, to market: Imperial capitalism's destruction of social capital and the family," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 401-414, December.
    14. Ailsa McKay, 2001. "Rethinking Work and Income Maintenance Policy: Promoting Gender Equality Through a Citizens' Basic Income," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 97-118.
    15. Zdravka, Todorova, 2009. "Employer of Last Resort Policy and Feminist Economics: Social Provisioning and Socialization of Investment," MPRA Paper 16240, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Hendrik Van den Berg, 2014. "How the Culture of Economics Stops Economists from Studying Group Behavior and the Development of Social Cultures," World Economic Review, World Economics Association, vol. 2014(3), pages 1-53, February.
    17. M. V. Lee BADGETT & Nancy FOLBRE, 1999. "Assigning care: Gender norms and economic outcomes," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 138(3), pages 311-326, September.
    18. Clare Ungerson, 1999. "Personal Assistants and Disabled People: An Examination of a Hybrid Form of Work and Care," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 13(4), pages 583-600, December.
    19. Anne Gray, 2006. "The Time Economy of Parenting," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, September.
    20. Gillian Hewitson, 2001. "A Survey of Feminist Economics," Working Papers 2001.01, School of Economics, La Trobe University.
    21. Wiseman, Virginia, 1997. "Caring: the neglected health outcome? or input?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 43-53, January.

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