Production & Consumption

Q: Work and Leisure

Patterns of relationships between work and leisure __(Parker, 1971/1976)__.

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Identity and Production

Work is an important source of identity because factors relating to type of occupation and level of earnings are a good indicator of a person’s social class, providing information about status.

Influence of work on identity

Work (or people’s role in production) influences identity in a number of ways.
The type of occupation is an important indicator of social class identity and, therefore, perceived status within society.
The amount of money a person earns influences status, the kind of consumer goods they can buy and the lifestyle they can lead.

Influence of work on identity cont.

Work-related peer-group influences and friendships can influence the identity someone chooses to assert (e.g. group leader, trades union activist).
People’s work can influence the identities they project to other through their work-leisure patterns.

Lack of work as stigmatised identity

Lack of work can occur through, for example, unemployment, disability or retirement.
Lack of work can undermine the part of our identity related to employment and can lead to what Durkheim called anomie (normlessness, or a lack of feelings of security and certainty).

Stigmatised identity cont.

Unemployment can also lead to other disruptions of the normal routines and traditions of everyday social life.
The unemployed may face what Goffman called a stigmatised identity through negative labelling as ‘benefit scroungers’.

Work and Leisure

Patterns of relationships between work and leisure (Parker, 1971/1976).

Parker

Parker (1971, 1976) believes that people’s occupations and the way they experience their work (e.g. the amount of independence and satisfaction) have important influences on their leisure.

Three patterns

Parker suggests that there are three patterns in the link between work and leisure:
- Opposition.
- Neutrality.
- Extension.

Opposition pattern

In the opposition pattern, people see their leisure as a central life interest to compensate for and escape from physically hard and dangerous jobs.

Neutrality pattern

The neutrality pattern suggests that people see their family and leisure (not work) as major life interests because their jobs are boring, unfulfilling and routine.

Extension pattern

In the extension pattern, work is so interesting and demanding that there is a blurring of the distinction between work and leisure time; work extends into leisure time and leisure is often work-related.

Criticisms

Parker overemphasises the importance of work in shaping leisure activities.
Parker over-simplifies the influence of work on leisure.
Parker's research is focused primarily on men in full-time paid employment.

Consumption and Identity

Postmodernists argue that work is declining in significance as a source of identity and is being replaced by consumer choices and leisure choices.

The declining significance of work as a source of identity

Postmodernists like Bauman, suggest that work had lost its once central importance in people’s lives.
Work is no longer seen as the central axis of identity which underpins other identities.
Consuming goods and lifestyle choices have become much more significant sources of identity than work and occupation.

Postmodernists approaches to consumption and identity

Postmodernists (e.g. Lyotard) argue that the most important aspects in moulding people’s identities have changed and are now more closely associated with consumer choices and leisure choices.

Consumer choices

Consumer choices refer to people’s tastes and the type, image and style of the goods they buy, including music, home décor and designer labels.
Leisure choices include holiday destinations, clubs and self-improvement activities.