It is good to see Futures of Work back! In this first issue after the relaunch, the articles included address a range of different forms of labour market inequalities, with gender a particular focus in most of the pieces.
The changing world of work is being shaped by a whole range of factors, with the COVID-19 pandemic being just one of the most obvious. The current set of articles highlights a range of interconnected factors and conditions that are rarely jointly considered or researched because there is just too much to include, but which jointly sustain and reinforce gender, racial and other inequalities.
The issue starts off with Joyce Mamode’s piece on the over-exposure and under-protection of racially minoritized workers during the pandemic. Her research considers the important role of trade union equality reps in amplifying the voices that are not usually heard at work. In focussing on the expert power of these reps, she points a way to facilitate more collaborative and inclusive working practices in future.
Mary Ann le Lean picks up the issue of under-representation of women and considers this at executive level in publicly subsidised arts organisations. Looking at the importance of networking, the appointment process and the way that working practices are structured reveals important differences. Despite pay issues in the sector, flexible working that is suitable/beneficial for workers is common, and appointments are undertaken via formal, open processes.
In the next piece, Kantha Dayaram and Hasnat Ahmad consider changing working arrangements and labour force challenges, including the different skills needed, insecurity and the loss of previously standard benefits of employment, as well as longer working hours, all of which have been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact that these factors have on physical and mental health means that there is a need to consider forms of regulation.
Ne Ma introduces a focus on women, in particular single women who, although they might fit the ‘ideal worker’ image, are often considered problematic in their femininity due to their economic empowerment. In the Chinese context, the issues with such ‘leftover women’ are being addressed by pro-active marriage legislation, pro-natalist policies and propaganda, increased barriers to divorce, and a lowering of the marriageable age.
Finally, Vanessa Beck discusses the different approaches to delivering menopause support, using the example of a public sector organisation that deliberately avoided putting in place a policy so as to embed menopause as part of their health and wellbeing strategy. The aim was to address and change the organisational culture away from its previous focus on ‘problematic’ older women.
Jointly, these articles demonstrate how inter-connected many of the factors mentioned are, leading to the complex systems of inequality that are currently in place in organisations and labour markets across a range of countries. However, the articles also point a way forward and suggest a range of different approaches to ensure a broader range of voices are heard at work (e.g. via trade union reps), that appointment processes and working conditions are fairer and healthier for all involved, as well as sounding a warning about regressive (national) policies that could lead to a retrenchment of inequalities.
Image credit: Mike Hindle via Unsplash