Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The injustice of unequal work
AU - Sayer, Andrew
PY - 2009/12
Y1 - 2009/12
N2 - Economic justice is not just about what people get in terms of resources but what they are allowed or expected to contribute through their work, for this has a huge effect on opportunities for self-development, satisfaction and self-esteem. Capitalist societies have unequal divisions of labour, in which good quality work is concentrated into just a subset of jobs, thereby making meaningful work unattainable for large numbers. The article assesses the damage done by this major structural cause of class inequalities, and argues that the common justifications for the unequal division of labour (in terms of efficiency, cost, feasibility and differences in intelligence) are weak.
AB - Economic justice is not just about what people get in terms of resources but what they are allowed or expected to contribute through their work, for this has a huge effect on opportunities for self-development, satisfaction and self-esteem. Capitalist societies have unequal divisions of labour, in which good quality work is concentrated into just a subset of jobs, thereby making meaningful work unattainable for large numbers. The article assesses the damage done by this major structural cause of class inequalities, and argues that the common justifications for the unequal division of labour (in terms of efficiency, cost, feasibility and differences in intelligence) are weak.
KW - CONTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
KW - DIVISION OF LABOUR
KW - INEQUALITY
KW - WORK SATISFACTION
U2 - 10.3898/136266209790424658
DO - 10.3898/136266209790424658
M3 - Journal article
VL - 43
SP - 102
EP - 113
JO - Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture
JF - Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture
SN - 1741-0797
ER -