Invisible labor explained

Invisible labor is a philosophical, sociological, and economic concept applying to work that is unseen, unvalued or undervalued, and often discounted as not important, despite its essential role in supporting the functioning of workplaces, families, teams, and organizations.[1] The term was coined by Arlene Kaplan Daniels in the 1980s.[2] [3]

The term has been applied to academics,[4] scientists,[5] interpreters,[6] wait staff,[7] secretaries,[8] and women in the household,[9] who bear most of the invisible labor in terms of cleaning, planning, and organizing.[10] Even when women are equally employed, they still are responsible for the majority of invisible labor, including cognitive labor.[11] [12]

Invisible labor has a toll on the mental, physical, and psychological well-being of those who perform it,[13] and it reflects ongoing power dynamics and gender imbalances between those whose work 'counts' and those whose work remains 'unseen.'[14] [15] Invisible labor also falls disproportionately on marginalized groups as a factor of race or other identity characteristics,[16] [4] [17] to the point it has been referred to as "cultural taxation."[18]

Strategies for addressing invisible labor include acknowledgement and increasing visibility, distributing tasks more equally, implementing policies that recognize or reduce such work, challenging disparate gender and racial roles, and assigning economic value to unpaid labor.[19] [20] [21] [22]

The concept continues to influence public discourse through books and movies.[23] Technology has not reduced invisible labor, despite expectations or promises that it would.[24]

See also

References

  1. Web site: 2022-04-16 . Invisible Labor, Invisible Hands . 2024-09-20 . Los Angeles Review of Books. Anderson. Emily Hodgson.
  2. Hatton . Erin . April 2017 . Mechanisms of invisibility: rethinking the concept of invisible work . Work, Employment and Society . en . 31 . 2 . 336–351 . 10.1177/0950017016674894 . 0950-0170.
  3. Daniels . Arlene Kaplan . December 1987 . Invisible Work . Social Problems . 34 . 5 . 403–415 . 10.2307/800538.
  4. Gordon . Hava Rachel . Willink . Kate . Hunter . Keeley . June 2024 . Invisible labor and the associate professor: Identity and workload inequity. . Journal of Diversity in Higher Education . en . 17 . 3 . 285–296 . 10.1037/dhe0000414 . 1938-8934.
  5. Book: Invisible labour in modern science . 2022 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-5381-5995-8 . Bangham . Jenny . Global epistemics . Lanham Boulder New York London . Chacko . Xan . Kaplan . Judith.
  6. Kunreuther . Laura . Rao . Sonya . 2023-10-23 . The Invisible Labor and Ethics of Interpreting . Annual Review of Anthropology . en . 52 . 1 . 239–256 . 10.1146/annurev-anthro-052721-091752 . 0084-6570. free .
  7. Book: Crain, Marion G. . Invisible labor: hidden work in the contemporary world . Poster . Winifred Rebecca . Cherry . Miriam A. . 2016 . University of California press . 978-0-520-28640-5 . Oakland (Calif.).
  8. Wichroski . Mary . March 1994 . The Secretary: Invisible Labor in the Workworld of Women . Human Organization . en . 53 . 1 . 33–41 . 10.17730/humo.53.1.a1205g53j7334631 . 0018-7259.
  9. Ciciolla . Lucia . Luthar . Suniya S. . October 2019 . Invisible Household Labor and Ramifications for Adjustment: Mothers as Captains of Households . Sex Roles . en . 81 . 7-8 . 467–486 . 10.1007/s11199-018-1001-x . 0360-0025 . 8223758 . 34177072.
  10. Kaplan . Amit . December 2022 . "Just Let it Pass by and it Will Fall on Some Woman": Invisible Work in the Labor Market . Gender & Society . en . 36 . 6 . 838–868 . 10.1177/08912432221128544 . 0891-2432. free .
  11. Web site: Piñon . Natasha . 2020-09-11 . Invisible labor is real, and it hurts: What you need to know . 2024-09-20 . Mashable . en.
  12. Daminger . Allison . August 2019 . The Cognitive Dimension of Household Labor . American Sociological Review . en . 84 . 4 . 609–633 . 10.1177/0003122419859007 . 0003-1224.
  13. Web site: D’Ardenne . Kimberlee . Invisible labor can negatively impact well-being in mothers. 2024-09-20 . ASU News . en.
  14. Web site: Kalita . S. Mitra . 2023-09-26 . How to End the Unfairness of Invisible Work . 2024-09-20 . Time . en.
  15. 5 Things to Know About Invisible Labor. Rodsky. Eve . 2024-09-20 . Optum . en.
  16. Web site: Flaherty . Colleen . Undue Burden . 2024-09-21 . Inside Higher Ed . en.
  17. 2017 . The Burden of Invisible Work in Academia: Social Inequalities and Time Use in Five University Departments . Humboldt Journal of Social Relations . 39 . 228–245 . 0160-4341.
  18. Web site: Brahm . Nikki . 2023-04-18 . Invisible Labor . 2024-09-21 . Insight Into Diversity . en-US.
  19. Web site: What 'Invisible Work' Looks Like in the 21st Century Psychology Today . 2024-09-21 . www.psychologytoday.com . en-US.
  20. Web site: Reducing and Redistributing Unpaid Work: Stronger Policies to Support Gender Equality . 2024-09-21 . IMF . en.
  21. Web site: Howard . Jeffrey . Breaking Gender Stereotypes: Encouraging Participation in Non-Traditional Roles . 2024-09-21 . www.inclusionhub.com . en.
  22. Web site: 2022-07-28 . Gender equality and inclusive growth: Economic policies to achieve sustainable development . 2024-09-21 . UN Women – Headquarters . en.
  23. News: Winkelman . Natalia . July 7, 2022 . 'Fair Play' Review: Casting a Floodlight on Invisible Labor . September 20, 2024 . New York Times.
  24. Book: Hester, Helen . After work: a history of the home and the fight for free time . Srnicek . Nick . 2023 . Verso . 978-1-78663-309-5 . London; New York.

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