Arbete och liv - genuskontrakt i omförhandling?

Abstract

Work is in this artide seen as a social phenomenon that has been defined in many different ways. However, the definitions have long been gender biased, in that men's traditional activities more often than women's have been defined as "work". Work has been defined as the opposite of leisure, of consumption, of non-production or of rest, hut work has also been defined for the purpose of assessing the level of economic activity in a society, for establishing the level of economic development and for comparing different societies in a number of ways. Many gender researchers have discussed the male bias in definitions of work, and the importance of developing definitions that include women's activities. Margaret Reid, followed by Karin Kock and others, developed the "third party criterion" for defining work. This criterion states that work includes waged work as well as work performed without payment but for which märket substitutes are available and acceptable. In the artide, the definition of Barbara Hilkert Andoisen is used in building a base for the long term purpose of developing an emancipatory work concept. The concept is bold, as such a work concept should include activities that are paid or unpaid, prescribed or voluntary, fulfilling or unpleasant, performed on a märket or within the family, in public services, in voluntary organisations, performed full-time, part-time or without working time being registered, and activities performed by people regardless of age, gender, class or ethnicity. Finally, the example of the Swedish pension reform in the 1990's shows that pressure for changing the present distribution of work is directed towards women, with no incentives for men to change traditional patters. The tacit agenda may be expressed as "do not disturb men" - women are allowed all kinds of work as long as their activities do not require men to change more than marginally.