CONCEPTS
SAU300E WORK AND LIFE
On completion of this lecture,
students will be able to:
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
• Understand the DEFINITION
of paid work and unpaid work
• Understand the DEFINITION
of life, family and leisure
TOPICS
Unpaid Work
Paid Work
Life
Family
Leisure
DEFINITION OF WORK: SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
 Work is a central activity in the lives of most people
 Work includes mental and/or physical work
 Includes PAID and UNPAID WORK
 PAID WORK refers to a set of tasks that people carry out for a wage,
to produce goods or services for others
 UNPAID WORK refers to a set of household tasks carry out mostly
by women at home
 OCCUPATION is a type of work that is performed for the express
purpose of monetary reward (a wage)
WHY PEOPLE WORK?
• A sense of personal identity
• A way of organizing the day
• Connection to a social network
• A reason to get out of the house
• A chance to use and develop skills
• A steady income
WHY PEOPLE DO UNPAID
WORK?
• A way to keep the house clean
• A way to relieve stress
• A sense of responsibility
What is the meaning of LIFE?
• Life has different definitions in the eyes of different people.
• For many, life is all about LOVE.
• For a few, life is all about religious practices.
• For philosopher like Aristotle, life is about HAPPINESS.
• Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim
and end of human existence.
What are your life goals?
Do you have a bucket list?
How we live?
• Our lives are related to our family background (socio-economic
status).
• We are influenced by the cultural beliefs and norms (to get
married and give birth by some ages)
• Rite of passage usually refers to ceremonies that mark important
transitional periods in a person’s life, such as birth, marriage,
having children, and death.
• Rite of passage usually involves ritual activities and teachings
designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare
them for new roles (marking a new stage).
DEFINING FAMILY: SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
 Both law and social science have specified that the family consists of
people related by BLOOD, MARRIAGE or ADOPTION
 Social scienties continue to recognize the family’s important
responsibility in performing necessary social roles, such as child
rearing, economic support, and domestic maintenance.
 There is no typical family. Different family forms include: nuclear
family (parents and children), extended family (grandparents, parents
and children), single-parent families, stepfamilies, cohabiting,
heterosexual couples, gay and lesbian families.
 Social scienties no longer assume that a family has a male breadwinner
and a female homemaker; dual-career families are common, and there
are reversed-role families (working wife, househusband).
DEFINING LEISURE: SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
 Leisure refers to the use of time to engage in freely chosen activities
perceived as enjoyable and satisfying, including exercise.
 Leisure time is free from compulsory activities such as employment,
running a business, household chores, education, eating and
sleeping.
 It is difficult to define leisure. The definition varies according to
researchers.
Activities
(1) Do men and women have equal opportunity in
workplace? Why?
(2) Do men and women share unpaid work equally? Why?
(3) Do men and women have similar leisure time?
(4) Does individual with different socio-economic status have
similar perceptions towards life?