Scribd
Upload
2K views8 pages

Gender Based Division of Labour

The document discusses the gender division of labor, which refers to the division of work tasks between men and women based on their gender roles. This division is often argued to be the result of biological traits, but societies differ in what jobs are considered appropriate for each sex. In most countries, housework and childcare are typically considered women's work, while more technical tasks are men's work. Occupational segregation also exists, with men and women concentrated in different sectors and hierarchical levels, and facing differences in wages and career advancement opportunities. However, the gender division of labor is not fixed and can change in response to economic, political and social changes.

Uploaded by

Michael Kabulo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2K views8 pages

Gender Based Division of Labour

The document discusses the gender division of labor, which refers to the division of work tasks between men and women based on their gender roles. This division is often argued to be the result of biological traits, but societies differ in what jobs are considered appropriate for each sex. In most countries, housework and childcare are typically considered women's work, while more technical tasks are men's work. Occupational segregation also exists, with men and women concentrated in different sectors and hierarchical levels, and facing differences in wages and career advancement opportunities. However, the gender division of labor is not fixed and can change in response to economic, political and social changes.

Uploaded by

Michael Kabulo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Gender based division of labour

• The way work is divided between men and


women according to their gender roles is
usually referred to as the ‘gender division of
labour’. This does not necessarily concern only
paid employment, but more generally the
work, tasks and responsibilities that are
assigned to women and men in their daily lives,
and which may, on their turn, also determine
certain patterns in the labour market.
• It is often argued that the gender division of
labour is a result of biological traits; however,
if we notice that in some societies women
perform tasks and jobs that in some other
societies are traditionally considered as men’s
jobs, and vice versa, we see the division of
labour has much to do with what each society
perceives as appropriate for both sexes.
• In most countries, house chores – like cleaning,
cooking, washing clothes – and everything that
relates to sustaining the household – like
fetching water of fuel, small scale agriculture for
self-sustainment – are typically women’s or girls’
tasks, even when they have a paid job outside
the home. On the other hand, more technical
house tasks, like dealing with electrical or
mechanic equipment, is traditionally a man’s job.
• The labour market (as well as education and training) is
heavily segregated along gender lines, with differences
between regions and cultures. Also some generalizations
about gender divisions in the labour force are quite
truthful, as men dominate certain sectors and
occupations and women others. For example, there is a
concentration of women in services and of men in
manufacturing. By sub-sector there is also a gender
division: in manufacturing, for instance, there are more
women concentrated in the electronics and garments
industries, and men in the car industry.
• This is called ‘occupational segregation’, which is
commonly split into a horizontal and a vertical
dimension. In the context of gender, horizontal
segregation refers to the extent to which men and
women are located in different occupational sectors.
Women are usually highly concentrated in the sectors
that require lesser skills (e.g. agriculture), that
promise little chance for career advancements (e.g.
services) and that are related to care-giving (e.g.:
nursing), which often coincide also with low wages.
• On the other hand, vertical segregation refers to the
extent to which men and women occupy different
hierarchical positions within the same occupational
sector. Within the same sector, women tend to
occupy the lower ranks of the hierarchical ladder
(and consequently the lower salary ranges).
Statistics show that the higher the position the
wider the gender gap, so that on average women
hold less than 5% of the top jobs in corporations.
• The gender division of labour is not fixed for all time; it
changes in response to wider economic, political and social
changes. For example, men and women follow different
migration patterns, and engage in different occupations when
they migrate. Migration may also result in men taking on tasks
that they would not normally consider within their socially
ascribed role, like having to cook for themselves. Some
migrants often have to accept occupations for which they are
overqualified. The employment of immigrant women in
industrialized countries, as maids or care-providers, may not
make it possible for them to advance their professional area of
work.
Examples of the Gender Division of Labour

• In parts of Asia it is common to see women working as


labourers constructing roads, while in Europe this road
construction is generally a men’s job.
• In some cultures, purchasing items for household use, is a
men's task, and in others women control household
purchases.
• In some Buddhist cultures, it is considered 'lowly' to handle
money. Because of their lower social status, handling
money is often women's responsibility. In some Islamic
cultures, on the other hand, men may control household
finances and purchase all items for household use.

You might also like