Gender, Class and Race in Household and Paid Work Essay

Introduction

This paper provides the analysis of how gender affects the labor distribution in both household and paid labor, the role of social class in families, and the impact of race and ethnicity on labor distribution, and the main reasons why it happens.

Main text

West and Zimmerman claim that certain behavior can be referred to the specific gender (137). This fact is the basis for the distribution of labor in the family. Moreover, according to the lectures, the work is divided by time availability, power relations, and social exchange theory. Gender used to influence the distribution of any labor, but nowadays the situation is different since women have equal rights with men. This can be proved with the help of Hochschild’s book The Second Shift. During the first part of the day, Nancy and Evan have to work their “first shift” (Hochschild and Machung39). Nevertheless, after coming home they are obliged to do their “second shift” (Hochschild and Machung39). Nancy does a majority of the chores at home: “she was doing 80 percent of the housework and 90 percent of the child care” (Hochschild and Machung 39). Nevertheless, she also receives help from Evan, since now the labor division is not that strict (Hochschild and Machung 39). These examples provide the clear argument that women still perform a significant amount of chores at home, even though they work at the same time, but they also receive some help.

The impact of social class on a family’s division of labor is analyzed based on Blair-Loy ‘s paper. Since in her research paper, Blair-Loy focuses on women who play the roles of finance executives, it is clear, that these types of women are occupied by work and do not spend enough time with their families (693). Additionally, the author points out that a woman who works a lot usually does not have any children or spouses (Blair-Loy 693). This fact implies that belonging to a high social class might result in loneliness, but some of the mothers were able to differentiate their work and family schemas and devote the majority of their time to their spouse and children (Blair-Loy 697). Another important fact is that businesswomen tend to devote a lot of time to work, in turn, their husbands feel devastated and have all the family duties on them (Blair-Loy 699). In conclusion, it can be said that social status negatively influences the division of labor and the happiness of the family.

According to Peck (par. 4), today fathers are more willing to serve for the better post to provide their families with the desired income. This factor implies that it is easier for men to sacrifice their social status than for women, and women usually chose their family instead of career development.

Additionally, race and ethnicity have an impact on the division of labor. Browne and Mistra claim that there is no dependence of work choice on gender and race (487). In my personal opinion, there is almost no effect on the family’s division of labor by a certain race. However, the culture affects the distribution of the housework; for example, a Mexican woman performs a smaller amount of tasks than her Mexican husband and spends half of the day at work (Coltrane and Pinto 482). The main reason behind this fact is the differences in customs of different cultures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, all of the factors have an impact on the distribution of labor, but since the gender roles are not strictly defined now, there is a possibility that women perform less housework. However, to some extent, women have more obligations, since they have to perform both at work and home, although the situation is affected by social status and ethnicity.

Works Cited

Blair-Loy, Mary. “Cultural Constrictions of Family Schemas: The Case of Women Finance Executives.” Gender &Society 10.1 (2001): 687-709. Print.

Hoschschild, Arlie, and Anne Machung. The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at Home. New York: Viking, 1989. Print.

Peck, Emily. Another Sign That Fatherhood in the U.S. is Radically Changing. 2015. Web.

West, Candace, and Don Zimmerman. “Doing Gender.” Gender &Society 6.1 (1987): 125-151. Print.

Browne, Irene and Joya Mistra. “The Intersections of Gender and Race on the Labor Market.” Annual Review of Sociology 29.3 (2003): 487-513. Print.

Coltrane, Scott and Katy Pinto. “Division of Labour in Mexican Origin and Anglo Families: Structure and Culture. Sex Roles 60.7 (2009): 482-495. Print.