1st Edition
Sociology, Work and Organisations A Global Context
This accessible edited collection provides global context for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the sociology of work and organisations. Composed of short, example-led chapters, this book covers a wide range of contemporary topics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the digitalisation of work, the gig economy, and the shifting roles of women and other marginalised groups.
The book’s innovative approach uses case studies as diverse as work-life balance in China, gender pay inequity in Britain and Germany, and the exploitation of workers on the Mexico-US border, to incorporate perspectives from both the Global North and South and provide students with the tools to analyse new developments in the rapidly changing world of work. The book is particularly concerned with inequalities and marginalisation in the workplace, discussing discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, migrants, and older workers. The book also explores how increasing digitalisation, the rise of the gig economy and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted upon working practices and how this relates to precarious employment. Other chapters are dedicated to issues of workplace organisation, including female leadership, work-life balance, and well-being. The book goes on to explore how climate change and policies such as Universal Basic Income may shape the future of work in the near future.
Each chapter also includes useful pedagogical resources including practice exam questions, key concepts and definitions, and further readings. The book will be therefore essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the sociology of work, business management, and organisation.
Part 1: Introduction to Work in a Global Context
1. Introduction: Reimagining Work and Organisation Post-Pandemic
Jane Parry
2. Chapter Introductions and How to Use This Book
Brian McDonough
Part 2: Inequalities, Intersectionality, and Discrimination at Work
3. The Gender Pay Gap
Philippa Velija and Brian McDonough
4. Racial Discrimination at Work
Naveena Prakasam
5. Precarious and Gig-Work in the Global Economy
Brian McDonough and Chloe Pearson
6. Age Discrimination in the Workplace
Anna Paraskevopoulou
7. Migrant Sex Work and Survival Sex
Dina de Sousa e Santos
Part 3: Organising People and Well-Being at Work
8. Managing People and Democratisation of Organisations
Mark Green and Barry McNeill
9. Women Leaders in Male-Dominated Industries
Julia Hansch and Natalie Janning-Backfisch
10. Work-Life Balance
Mengyi Xu and Clare Kelliher
11. Well-being and Mental Health at Work
Maria Hudson
Part 4: Digitalised Work
12. Digitised Work
Garfield Benjamin
13. Sex Work in the Digital Age
Helen Rand
14. Blogging and Online Work
Jane Parry and Brian Hracs
15. Unpaid Work
Rebecca Taylor
Part 5: Workforce Marginalisation
16. Xenophobia and the Migrant Labour Force
Amy Duvenage
17. Inequalities of a Global Workforce: The Shipping Industry
Helen Devereux
18. Global Relations and Workers at the Border
María E. López
Part 6: The Future of Work
19. Climate Change and Work
Melahat Sahin-Dikmen
20. Changing Work and Universal Basic Income
Brian McDonough and Jessie Bustillos Morales
21. Changing Places of Work
Alan Felstead and Helen Blakely
22. Conclusion: New Ways of Working
Jane Parry and Brian McDonough
Biography
Brian McDonough is Course Leader of Sociology at Solent University, UK. His research specialises in work and the body, human expertise, and the use of information and communication technologies in the workplace. He is author of Flying Aeroplanes and Other Sociological Tales: An Introduction to Sociology and Research Methods (Routledge, 2021) and co-author of Social Problems in the UK (Routledge, 2015) and Universal Basic Income (Routledge, 2020). He has also published on commercial pilot expertise in journals such as Qualitative Research, using Heideggarian and Merleau-Pontian philosophy to understand the role of the working body, and how AI and other technologies impacts workers in aviation settings.
Jane Parry is an Associate Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Southampton, UK. Her research looks at changes in employment and careers and disadvantage in labour markets. She is co-editor of A New Sociology of Work (2006) and has published in journals such as Work, Employment and Society, Gender, Work and Organization, and New Technology, Work and Employment. A former parliamentary academic fellow, she led the ESRC-funded Work After Lockdown project on organisational learning around pandemic-driven working from home, and has contributed to Radio 4’s Today programme, various BBC programmes, and written for The Guardian on debates on the future of work.
“This welcome text offers many insights into recent changes in work and employment. Its approach is global and local, using case studies to great effect to illustrate key arguments. Its focus on developments that have so far received little attention will be invaluable for both students and specialists.”
Miriam Glucksmann, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Essex University, UK and Visiting Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
“An ambitious new collection, exploring core concepts in the sociology of work with a critical eye and lively, contemporary examples. Wide-reaching, thought-provoking, and accessible, with clear summaries and practice questions for students. This book will become core reading for all those interested in the changing world of work.”
Susan Halford, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures, University of Bristol, UK
“This book is essential reading for all those interested in the sociology of work. Taking an international perspective, it provides fascinating case studies from across the globe that offer new, rich insights on work and organisations in the 21st century.”
Diane Reay, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge, UK
