In the previous class we discussed how the jobs that are typically viewed as successful are the one's that are highly paid. One of the particularly interesting points that was brought up in the discussion was that the jobs viewed as not so great are also one's that have historically been considered marginal. In the past they were done by women, and immigrants. As the need for manufacturing jobs decreased these jobs rose in number, which has lead some to the believe that America simply just doesn't have good jobs anymore. But in reality jobs haven't gotten worse in quality, it's just that we have named these jobs as jobs unworthy of good pay and therefor respect.
Perhaps if we viewed these jobs as having more worth they would be paid more, and also possibly be held to a higher standard of performance. In the end it's almost hard to decipher which came first; whether we view low paying jobs as bad jobs because they are low-paying, or whether jobs have low wages because we view them as undeserving of high wages.
Recently a raise in the minimum wage has been a highly debated political topic. In a sociology class I took last semester one of our larger assignments was to design a budget on minimum wage. We found actual housing listings, accounted for SNAP and TANF, and budgeted everything down to our groceries, transportation, and utility bills. In the end I actually had to conclude that I couldn't do it. I managed to pay for everything except for food which even with assistance I couldn't afford sufficient amounts of.
It's possible that a raise in salary of these jobs could not only solve the view that America is lacking in good job opportunity, but also much improve the lives of those working within a system of employment deemed undesirable.
That sounds like a very interesting experiment to try to live on the minimum wage. It is basically impossible or very very difficult, as you say, which means that someone will have to bear the cost somewhere. One argument is that employers are not responsible for the totality of the employee's welfare--the state, family, religious organizations, and so on, should also chip in. A person's job isn't there whole being, so why should the job support that whole being? I think minimum wage laws are popular because we tend to reject this kind of thinking.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see if society will eventually switch its views on what is considered a job worthy of a high wage. I think at some point in the future with global warming and just changes in society that being a trash collector or a sewage cleaner will be high wage jobs as the trash on earth keeps building up and our population keeps expanding. That's just me being optimistic.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see if society will eventually switch its views on what is considered a job worthy of a high wage. I think at some point in the future with global warming and just changes in society that being a trash collector or a sewage cleaner will be high wage jobs as the trash on earth keeps building up and our population keeps expanding. That's just me being optimistic.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that the “shame” that is placed on these low paying jobs has resulted in them to remain low paying jobs is very interesting. While reading your blog post, I started thinking about the role that education plays in this cycle. Now more than ever, there seems to be a certain pressure surrounding and necessity to attending college. Bernie Sanders's support of "free college" is seen as an opportunity for all people to receive the same level of higher education and ultimately get a "good" job. However, what many people are not considering is how this would contribute to the stigmas surrounding low paying jobs. The promotion of this idea makes college of paramount importance in society. While receiving a higher education is a great and beneficial experience for some people, it does not need to be portrayed as the only option. People who want to be electricians or bus drivers should be encouraged to pursue these jobs rather than being pressured to go to college to get a "better" job. When getting a college education is portrayed as a sort of common standard, it is subsequently taking value away from the low paying jobs that we still need in the world. While I can see validity in attempting to provide people with an equal opportunity for success, we should not in the process take away worth from other paths that others may choose to take.
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