Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Labour and Employment from Class 9 Social_Science. We will explore the meaning, features, importance, and types of labour. We will understand the advantages and disadvantages of the division of labour. We will study productive and reproductive labour, the role of women and gender discrimination, unemployment and its various types, and finally, the abolition acts for bonded labour and child labour. [CHECKPOINT]
Labour is one of the most important and indispensable factors of production. Different types of jobs require different types of labour. Along with land and capital, labour is also an important factor of production. No production can be done without the help of labour. People cannot create wealth without labour. By labour, we mean the capacity to exert physical or mental effort for the purpose of producing goods or a service. It is only human labour that is considered in this context. The exertion of non-human animals is not called labour. Labour includes all manual and mental effort made in order to earn a living. It results in the production of either goods or services or both. It does not include any work undertaken for one’s pleasure or out of charity. The services of a nurse who receives payment are regarded as labour, but the services of a mother who cares for her sick child are not regarded as labour. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us note an important definition from your textbook. Alfred Marshall stated that any exertion of mind and body undergone partly or wholly with a view to some good, other than the pleasure derived from the work is called labour. Now, let us look at the features of labour. First, labour cannot be separated from the labourer. Second, labour cannot be accumulated. Third, labour supply varies over time. Fourth, labour is less mobile. Fifth, labour differs in efficiency. Sixth, labour is an active factor. [CHECKPOINT]
Labour is a productive factor of production. It is considered to be important not only because it is productive but also because it activates other factors and makes them useful for production purposes. Therefore, the size of the labour force in a country is determined by the number of people in the age group of 15 to 60 years. Generally, the children below 15 years and aged people above 60 years do not participate in productive activity. In India, 40% of the population constituted the labour force in 2011. Labour can be categorized into many types based on different criteria. Based on the nature of work done, it is physical and mental labour. Based on skill, it is skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled labour. Based on training, it is professional and administrative labour. Based on income earned, it is productive and reproductive labour. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will learn about the division of labour. The division of labour is as old as mankind. Even in the life of primitive man, we find an elementary division of labour between man and woman. Man hunted and fished while the woman cooked, made clothes, and looked after the children. Adam Smith is the father of economics. In his famous book The Wealth of Nations published in 1776, he gives an example of the advantage of the division of labour. He describes a pin-making process where one man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, and a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head. According to him, with the division of labour, 10 persons help to produce 48000 pins a day, whereas without specialization, they can produce only 10 pins a day per person. [CHECKPOINT]
By division of labour, we mean the allocation of different parts of the production process to different workers or to different groups of workers. Any modern economy is characterized by the phenomenon of division of labour. In fact, in most cases, a person or a group is engaged in just one line of production. Specialization is the rule rather than the exception. The important advantages of the division of labour are as follows. First, it increases the efficiency of labour. Second, the increase in efficiency leads to an increase in the quantity of output and an improvement in the quality of the produced goods and services. Third, the increase in quantity and quality of output brings greater profit. Fourth, since division of labour increases total output, the average cost of producing a commodity falls, and consumers get goods at a cheap rate. Fifth, division of labour over a longer period helps in research and innovation, which leads to the production of a variety of new products. [CHECKPOINT]
However, there are also disadvantages. First is the monotony of work. Under division of labour, a worker has to do the same job time and again for years together, which leads to boredom. Second is the lack of responsibility. If the quality of the product is not up to the expected level, none can be held responsible. Third is increased dependence. When production is divided into many processes performed by different workers, it leads to dependence among workers. Fourth is unemployment. Division of labour leads to specialization in a small part of an article. If a worker is removed from that specific job, they must look for the same type of job, otherwise they will be unemployed. Fifth is class conflict. Division of labour facilitates large-scale production, helping producers earn huge profits by paying less wages, which divides society into the haves and the have-nots. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us examine the gender dimension of labour. Women constitute nearly 31% of the labour force in rural areas and 20% in urban areas. The percentage of women labour force is low compared to males, but it has been increasing gradually. Women are equally important like men for the growth and development of a country. With economic progress, women are emerging as a force of empowering India. However, the socio-economic status of women labour in India is not increasing, and women face exploitation. In India, gender concerns have gained prominence due to gender bias and high gender inequality. The government has also resolved for gender budgeting. Gender bias describes how women remain far behind with an absence of opportunities to improve their level. Gender inequality occurs when women do not enjoy the same status and opportunities as men. [CHECKPOINT]
There is widespread inequality between women and men in India. Women are treated as unequal in several ways, including unequal sex ratio, low level of female literacy rate, lower work participation rate for women, lower female economic activity rate, and lower representation of women in higher ranks of government like the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Foreign Service compared to male employees. The number of women in assemblies and the Lok Sabha is also very low. Violence against women, both domestic and at the workplace, continues. Early marriage of girls and early pregnancies still exist. Women carry a disproportionately greater burden of work than men. Since women are responsible for a greater share in home-based work, they enter the labour market overburdened. This dual work is neither recognized in data nor considered in social policy making. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us understand productive and reproductive labour. Productive labour is that which creates some utility or which has undergone for earning an income. Anti-social activities are not considered productive labour because they try to rob the wealth of others. According to Adam Smith, productive labour is only that labour which leads to the creation of material goods or assets. Reproductive labour is the work at domestic place, at house. It can also be called as domestic labour. It is unpaid work performed by women at home. Child rearing and caring, cleaning, and cooking are examples of reproductive labour. Domestic labour is labelled within a feminine gendered sphere and recognized as the basis for inequality between male and female. It involves exploitation of women by men, supported by male dominance, illiteracy, ignorance, and blind beliefs. [CHECKPOINT]
We must also know an important equation from your textbook. Labour force minus work force equals unemployment. Now, let us discuss the abolition of bonded labour. Bonded labour is one who is bound to work in the house of the landlord for a fixed amount up to a fixed period or till the repayment of the borrowed money. The worker pledges himself to the landlord for the loan amount. The landlord exploits the workers by paying low wages and extracting more work. It is another form of slavery. The Government of India abolished the bonded labour system in 1976. This social evil has declined but is still alive in a few parts of the country. [CHECKPOINT]
Next is the abolition of child labour. Children working below the age of 14 years to work is called child labour. It is a serious problem in India. About 90% of the working children in rural areas are employed in agriculture and allied activities. In urban areas, they are working in small industries, match factories, workshops, hotels, and business establishments. It deprives children from education, adversely affects their health, and spoils their future. The Child Labour Prohibition Act was passed in 1986 by the Government of India. It prohibits children less than 14 years of age from hazardous jobs. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us move on to employment and unemployment. Employment is a situation where a person is engaged in work at the prevailing wage rate in the market to maintain his or her livelihood, as it brings regular income either in the private or public sector. Unemployment means inability to get work in spite of proper age, ability, and interest. In India, the number of unemployed and jobless persons is increasing, including educated, skilled, rural, and urban people. Youth unemployment refers to unemployment among people between the age group of 15 to 30 years. It is found in rural and urban areas and is more common among educated individuals waiting for white-collar jobs. [CHECKPOINT]
Unemployment in India is classified into rural and urban types. Rural unemployment includes disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment. Disguised unemployment is a situation of unemployment with surplus manpower than actual requirement, where the marginal productivity of some workers is zero. So, even removal of them will not affect the volume of total production. It is also called underemployment of labour. For example, suppose four persons are working in a properly organized family farm. If two more workers are employed on the same farm and there is no change in output, these two workers are disguisedly unemployed. This is common in rural sectors of underdeveloped countries like India. Overcrowding in an occupation leads to disguised unemployment. Seasonal unemployment occurs because some agricultural and industrial occupations are seasonal. They offer employment only for a certain period in a year. People engaged in such work remain unemployed during the off season. [CHECKPOINT]
Urban unemployment includes industrial unemployment and educational unemployment. Industrial unemployment occurs when a person remains unemployed for a given period due to changes in the industrial sector. For example, people who migrate to urban areas in search of jobs fail to get jobs due to lack of special training and skill. Educational unemployment is the condition of educated people not having a job though they are interested and capable of doing it. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us solve the exercises from your textbook. First, fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The famous book of Adam Smith is The Wealth of Nations. Question two: The Abolition of Bonded Labour Act was passed in the year 1976. Question three: When the marginal productivity of a labour is zero, it is known as disguised unemployment. Question four: Division of labour increases efficiency of labour. Question five: The Abolition of Child Labour Act was passed in the year 1986. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will discuss and answer the following questions. Question six asks: What is meant by division of labour? By division of labour, we mean the allocation of different parts of the production process to different workers or to different groups of workers. Question seven asks: What is meant by child labour? Child labour refers to children working below the age of 14 years. It deprives them of education, harms their health, and spoils their future. Question eight asks: Define unemployment. Unemployment means inability to get work in spite of proper age, ability, and interest. [CHECKPOINT]
Question nine asks: Explain the advantages of division of labour. The advantages are: it increases the efficiency of labour, improves the quality and quantity of output, brings greater profit, reduces average cost making goods cheaper for consumers, and promotes research and innovation for new products. Question ten asks: List the disadvantages of division of labour. The disadvantages are: monotony of work leading to boredom, lack of responsibility for product quality, increased dependence among workers, unemployment due to narrow specialization, and class conflict between rich producers and poor workers. Question eleven asks: State the meaning of productive and reproductive labour. Productive labour creates utility or earns income, and according to Adam Smith, it leads to the creation of material goods or assets. Reproductive labour is unpaid domestic work performed by women at home, such as child rearing, cleaning, and cooking. [CHECKPOINT]
Question twelve asks: What are the types of unemployment? The types are rural unemployment, which includes disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment, and urban unemployment, which includes industrial unemployment and educational unemployment. Question thirteen asks: Identify the differences between disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment. Disguised unemployment occurs when surplus workers are employed but their marginal productivity is zero, meaning removing them does not reduce total output. It is common in agriculture due to overcrowding. Seasonal unemployment occurs when work is available only during specific seasons of the year, leaving workers unemployed during the off-season. Question fourteen asks: How is industrial unemployment different from educational unemployment? Industrial unemployment happens due to changes or shifts in the industrial sector, often affecting migrants who lack specific training or skills. Educational unemployment refers to educated individuals who are capable and willing to work but cannot find suitable jobs, often waiting for white-collar positions. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us address the activity and projects. Activity one instructs you to visit a firm and observe the real work with division of labour, then prepare a report of your practical experience. You should note how tasks are divided among workers, the specialization of each role, and how this impacts efficiency and workflow. Project one asks you to prepare a project on different types of unemployment and state its position in today's India. You should gather current data on rural and urban unemployment, analyze causes like disguised, seasonal, industrial, and educated unemployment, and discuss government initiatives. Project two asks you to write a report on gender dimensions of labour. You should cover women's participation rates, gender bias, inequality in literacy and political representation, the burden of unpaid domestic work, and the impact of gender budgeting. [CHECKPOINT]
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]