Žene i rad u suvremenom društvu – značaj “orodnjenog” rada

Abstract

Changes at work and in the family bring about significant changes in gender relations and vice versa. Just as the lives of women and men change, labor market and family relations change. The entry of women into the labor market of the late 20th and early 21st century has been significantly affected by the global economy and marked the beginning of the process of feminisation of work around the globe. However, the influence of women in the public sphere of work has not resulted in the socio-economic equality between the two gender groups, men and women. Different authors suggest that gender division of labor is the main mechanism for the maintenance of patriarchal capitalism, which supports the devaluation and marginalization of women workers, in private and public spheres. The text points out the importance of "gendered" work, especially of women, the influence of traditional gender roles in the family on maintaining gender inequality at work, and the unpreparedness and inadequacy of the global labor market to needs and interests of women as a gender group. Women's work is characterized by gender-sensitive participation in the workplace they receive lower wages, face gender-segregation and feminization of poverty, while they are expected to meet the demands of family life to the full extent. Women, unlike men, have to make their reproductive decisions and the results of those choices have different implications on their personal lives and professional arrangements. Therefore, the main problems of unequal gender power position on the labor market and the harmonization of work, gender and family functions are still not satisfactorily resolved, and the feminization of the labor market in the existing framework of patriarchal capitalism does not satisfactorily contribute to the elimination of inequalities between men and women in the society. © 2011 Institute for Social Research in Zagreb. All rights reserved.