By: @Erin Suhajda
Date: May 15, 2019
Table of Contents
Travail (n.) - un activité laborieuse de l'homme considérée comme un facteur essentiel de la production et de l'activité économique (Le capital et le travail, Larousse, 2019). Origin- Tripalium; un instrument de torture
Work (n.) activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something (Merriam-Webster, 2019) Origin- Toil; to strive
The United States and France found themselves in comparable situations after their national revolutions; however, their work culture looks nothing alike in modern businesses. Despite both nations being large players in the international economy and production of goods, they have stark differences in what they value. For the United States, they pride themselves on fulfilling the American Dream and supporting a new age of “the hustle”. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the French are having more strikes than ever while unemployment rates are growing exponentially among millennial French. So how did this come to be? As the burnout epidemic spreads like wildfire around the globe, Both the United States and France are struggling to cope and leaving their employees and companies at a loss. The purpose of this thesis is the examine the international impacts of work culture on burnout and determine indicated actions.
In its infancy, the United States of America was a British colony. Bombarded with large taxes and restrictions being mandated from the other side of the world, the colonies revolted to gain financial freedom in 1775. After nearly a decade of war, the colonies succeeded- contradicting the odds that were against them. Now with the freedom of self-rule, Americans were able to determine laws and the culture of their new nation. The principles of “equality and opportunity”- pertaining mainly to in the workplace- gave the first glimpse at the concept of “The American Dream”. These principles are also deeply rooted in American work culture, while the definition of equality and opportunity in Modern America is up for debate.
France was profoundly influenced by the American Revolution, so much so that in 1792 through 1802 the French peasants led their own revolution to topple the bourgeoisie system. While motivations were similar - to combat financial inequality between the classes- the lasting impacts of these revolutions on work culture were radically divergent. Americans were ready to create their own destiny without the restrictions of Great Britain while the French, coming from a much older nation, wanted time to enjoy the finer things in life that had previously been reserved for the bourgeois and royalty. The years following each country's respective revolution would prove to be defining of the motivations in the workplace.
While these national revolutions had tremendous repercussions, they were not the only wars to shape workplace culture in the United States and France. The American Civil War, as well as both World Wars, brought a major player into the workforce. These conflicts brought about the opportunity for women to finally take on roles that were traditionally reserved for men and enter the workforce in larger numbers than ever before. By increasing the potential workforce population by 50 percent, the national economies would be forever changed and introduce new problems to face in the realm of sexism that are still heavily prevalent today.
After the outbreak of the American Civil War, Women were called upon to sustain the country while the majority of the male population went to war. Previously, women were restricted to the home or “women’s careers” such as a seamstress or servant. American women ran with the first chance to contribute to society outside of the home. While this was a great advancement, the men were not prepared for the pushback they would receive upon returning home from war. Women did not want to revert to being homebodies after belatedly becoming part of the real workforce. A nearly identical phenomenon occurred in France during both World Wars.
France has followed in the United States footsteps for most of its major changes in labor laws and policies. France had an extremely delayed industrial revolution that did not truly come to fruition until after WWI as a result of the nationwide destruction and battles during the war. Women taking over to support the economy also did not occur until around WWI, contrasting to the United States where women seized the opportunity of the American Civil War to get their foot in the door.
In the United States, there is an obvious emphasis put on capitalism; therefore, as a result, a work-based society has been established. Not only do Americans highly value their careers in their lives, but it is also used to define their place in society; A job is about a lot more than just a paycheck. It’s about -- it's about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community » (The Work Society, 18). As a capitalist nation, the United States dictates of its populous that they work, and work hard. If individuals are not living up to their full potential to deliver value-added to the world, they are viewed as an outcast of society. Gorz puts it simply- “The ideology of work, which argues that ‘work is life’ and demands that it be taken seriously and treated as a vocation, and the attendant utopia of a society ruled by the associated producers, play right into the hands of the employers, consolidate capitalist relations of production and domination, and legitimate the privileges of a work elite” (GORZ, The Work Society, 23). The most elite in the nation are those earn the most. Those who rely on others for monetary stability are weak and considered to be nothing more than lackadaisical. This systematically places approximately half of the population into a lower standing. Women despite how senior they are in a company are viewed as less ambitious and less competent. The reflection of society’s perception of women - that they are less than a man- can be seen in promotion statistics as well as in wage disparity between the sexes.
“For 64 percent of women, microaggressions are a workplace reality. Most commonly, women have to provide more evidence of their competence than men and they have their judgment questioned in their area of expertise. They are also twice as likely as men to have been mistaken for someone in a more junior position” (Women in the Workplace 2018, 11).
Capitalism is inherently sexist due to the societal constructs that control women’s opportunities in the workplace. Discrimination in the capitalistic workplace is not limited to sex, but gender identity, race, and socioeconomic status. Although the American Dream gives the delusion of being an even playing ground for all, the reality is that certain subgroups of the society are able to seize opportunities more easily due to their privilege- whether it be their gender, nationality, or personal connections.