Overview of the Sociology of Work: Adaptation of the American Workplace

Sociology of Work
Name
Institution

Sociology of Work
Introduction
Lately, there has been a rise in issues related to work-life balance (Royal, 2013), and as Kelly et al. (2014) reflects on their American Sociological Review study, 70 percent of the American workers endeavor to obtain a satisfactory balance between their work and family life. Kelly et al. (2014) further maintain that it is the employer's responsibility to ensure a work-life balance for their workers. Indeed, many employers have responded in the same fashion by modifying their structures and cultures to adapt to outside forces like society and policy demands. Thus, this paper, besides describing how the American workplace has adapted and how this affects the workers, it analyzes the worker's responses and their families' as well. Under the same breath, the paper considers the sociology of life in the context of social life, specifically the family.
Overview of the Sociology of Work
Regardless of the society, one lives in, everyone depends on the systems of production for their survival. Work or productive activity makes up the largest portion of people's lives; more than any type of behavior, it takes ups more of their time. In sociology, work is defined as the act of carrying out tasks that involve the expenditure of physical and mental effort, with the aim of producing goods and services for human needs (Edgell, 2011). Normally, work is an occupation or a job undertaken in return for a regular wage or salary. At this point, it is imperative to state that not all work – such as volunteering, forced labor, domestic work, and hobbies – is regularly waged or salaried (Edgell, 2011). The sociology of work dates back to the classical sociological theorists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim who considered analyzing the contemporary work as central to sociology (Edgell, 2011). For instance, Marx was the first theorist actually examine working conditions in factories that emerged during the industrial revolution. He delved into how the transition from an independent craftwork to working as a factory employee under an employer led to alienation and deskilling. Meanwhile, Durkheim's concern focused on how the societies became stable through norms and customs, as well as traditions as industry and work morphed during the industrial revolution. On the other hand, Weber centered on the emergence of new types of authorities within the modern bureaucratic organizations. Today, many scholars and researchers studying sociology of work have taken a comparative approach (Edgell, 2011). For example, they may look at the types of organizations and employment across all societies. They may as well consider the connection between the sociology of work and social inequality.

What Are the Issues?
Work-life balance involves people feeling satisfied with how their time and energy is divided between paid work and every other thing they want to do, especially attending to their families. In the recent past, work-family conflicts have been common both in the US and other industrialized countries alike. According to Kelly et al. (2011), 70 percent of the US men and women reported some interference between their work and their non-work r...