On Wed, 3 Jun 1998, Tom Walker wrote:
> Robert L. Needham wrote,
>
> > With these sorts of distinctions, one can collapse the
> >conventional work/leisure distinction, for if work is nothing more than
> >conscious activity directed toward the accomplishmetn of an end, work can
> >be part of free time (but waged work, for various reasons, cannot).
>
> Hmmm. The last comment seems out of step with my experience. From time to
> time I am offered a 'stipend' or 'honorarium' for doing something I would
> gladly do without payment. I'm also compelled to do some kinds of work
> without remuneration, such as writing proposals. I would call the former
> part of "free time" because I'm freely doing what I want to be doing. The
> latter is not "free time" because I'm compelled to do (for free) what I
> would rather not have to do.
>
> Regards,
>
> Tom Walker
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> #408 1035 Pacific St.
> Vancouver, B.C.
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>
Dear Tom,
Thanks for your response. Your point about your subjective
experience of paid work as being free (in the sense that you freely got
involved in it) is well taken. I agree that people can have this
experience. However, the fact that the work was enjoyable is, I think,
irrelevant to the issue about whether it is free or not. One can, or
course, enjoy things one is forced to do.And the fact that work is waged
indicates nothing about whether it will be enjoyable or not-waged work
can be either enjoyable or painful.
Yes, one can be compelled to do types of work one is never paid
for, but I would never consider the act of compulsion to be part of free
time anyway.One of the central definiing characteristics of leisure and
free time is that they involve relative freedom of choice.
But my major point is this: the fact that one freely chooses to
engage in a type of work does not in itself make the experience of
engaging in this work free. The work may still involve many other
constraints. I think waged work involves various contraints that are not
part of working pure and simple. Once wages enter the picture, one then
has to do the work in accordance with the way the person providing the
wages wants the work done, and this usually involves all kinds of
constraints with respect to quality, quantity of production, deadlines,
style of work etc.
It is, in fact, very unusual for employees to describe their
waged work as free time. My research indicates that only about 3-4% of
waged workers would be prepared to describe their waged work as such (and
this largely because a lot more women than men see their waged work as
free time). I suspect that a lot more woment see their waged work as free
time because it gets them away from the unfree situation of looking after
kids and performing various other domestic chores.
A much larger % of people are prepared to describe various
unwaged forms of work as free time, but it varies depending on the type
of work.
That, very briefly, is what I had in mind. If you have any
further questions, come back to me.
Yours,
Rob Needham
Oxford University>
