BUT ARE THEY EXPLOITED?: INDUSTRIAL HOME WORKERS IN THE 1990 NEW JERSEY CENSUS

Abstract

At issue in the debate over home employment is whether paid work performed in the home exploits workers or enables them to decide when and where to do their work. Converting the terms of the debate into a set of variables, I compare blue‐collar workers in manufacturing industries by work location. Although observed differences are open to varying interpretations, I conclude that as a group the home workers in this sample may be choosing to work at home. However, my analyses also demonstrate the diversity of home working arrangements, and that worker's ‘choices’ are socially shaped such that home employment has different meanings and consequences for different groups of workers. I further argue that the exploitative potential in home work cannot be dismissed because the findings are controversial, and the sample most likely underrepresents home workers, especially those most vulnerable to exploitation. Evidently, more research is necessary on the diversity of home working arrangements and their implications.

Citation

Rovi, S. (1997), "BUT ARE THEY EXPLOITED?: INDUSTRIAL HOME WORKERS IN THE 1990 NEW JERSEY CENSUS", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 17 No. 3/4, pp. 63-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013301