Work Won't Love You Back
Sarah Jaffe
21 min
8 Key Points
4.3 RateWhat's inside?
Explore the harsh realities of modern work culture and learn how our passion for our jobs can lead to exploitation, burnout, and isolation.
You'll learn
1. Is "labor of love" just a fancy term for exploitation?2. What's the backstory of our workaholic culture?3. Is capitalism messing with our minds and relationships?4. How can we fight back against workplace exploitation?5. Why should we prioritize chilling out and self-care?6. How can we push for a fairer workplace?Key points
01Is 'labor of love' just a trick to exploit workers?
Let's take a trip down memory lane, back to the days of the feudal system. Back then, the rich folks lived off their wealth while the rest of us worked the land just to have a roof over our heads and food on the table. Work wasn't something you loved, it was something you did to survive. Fast forward to the industrial revolution, and things started to change. Factories popped up everywhere, and mass production became the name of the game. This was when the "Fordist Compromise" came into play. Named after Henry Ford's company, this was a system designed to keep us working in the factories by paying us just enough to get by and keep us coming back for more. This system stuck around even after the Great Depression and well into the 60s. But then, in the 70s and 80s, the way we saw work started to shift. The rich started to take pride in working long hours and finding joy in their work. And us regular folks started to buy into the idea that work was something to be loved, which led us to work even longer hours. But this belief led to a lot of strikes and crises as companies shut down factories and found new ways to pay us less. This is where the "labor-of-love myth" comes in. This is the idea that you should love your job so much that you're willing to work even more because of it. But this myth, as it turns out, is just a sneaky way to get us to work longer hours for less pay. This myth isn't just limited to one profession. It's spread across all kinds of jobs, and workers have been fighting back against it and standing up for their rights. The modern working class is a diverse group, made up of all genders and races. And the value of our work shouldn't be determined by how much we love it, but by how much it pays. So here's the bottom line: the "labor-of-love myth" is a tool of exploitation. It's a way to get us to work more for less. And we need to recognize it for what it is. Work isn't going to love us back, no matter how much we love it. So instead of focusing on loving our jobs, we should be focusing on making sure we're getting paid fairly and treated right.
02How do kids form their work beliefs?
Let's talk about how kids form beliefs, especially about work and gender roles. This is a big deal in Sarah Jaffe's book, where she talks about how our love for our jobs can leave us feeling used, tired, and lonely. From the get-go, girls are often taught to be caring and nurturing, more so than boys. They're told to put others first and to always look good. This comes from the old-school family setup, where women were expected to take care of everyone without getting paid for it. Jaffe calls this the "labor-of-love" myth. Society often thinks women are just naturally good at things like cooking, raising kids, and solving problems. They think it's in their DNA, not something they've learned. This idea follows women into their jobs, where their skills are often not appreciated or paid what they're worth. The family is a powerful thing. It's grown alongside capitalism and government. As people started to make more than they needed, trading became a thing. This led to the idea of owning stuff and needing to control it, which was usually a man's job. Women were seen as a bonus to the household, valued for keeping the home running. This was the start of men being in charge. The "labor-of-love" myth also applies to marriage. At first, marriage was just a practical thing, not about love. But over time, the idea of marrying for love came about, and any work in the marriage was expected to be done out of love. This led to the belief that a woman's ultimate happiness was in being married and keeping house. But let's be real, there is real love in families, and marriage is always changing because people are questioning it. The work done in a family is important, but it can also help build communities and relationships. It's important for families to know about these myths and to question them. Women have always been the ones pushing for a balance between work and life. But if everyone cared about this, it could really change how society thinks and acts. By understanding these ideas, we can see how kids form beliefs, and how we can challenge and change these beliefs for a fairer society.
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03Shouldn't house-helps get a fair deal?
04Don't teachers deserve more credit?
05Shouldn't retail workers get more respect?
06Aren't nonprofit workers, artists, and interns undervalued?
07Can we bust the 'labor of love' myth for a fairer future?
08Conclusion
About Sarah Jaffe
Sarah Jaffe is a renowned American journalist, author, and commentator specializing in labor, economic, and social justice issues. She is a Type Media Center fellow and an independent journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, and The Guardian, among others.
