A SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY ON WOMEN’S WELL-BEING AND WAGED-WORK

This article reviews research and theory on women’s waged-work with a particular focus on its contributions to sociological understandings of women’s well-being. Sociological inquiry on women’s well-being and waged-work is motivated by the most critical issue of the recent incorporation of women into the labor force as a result of global restructuring. I examine the recent research on women’s waged-work within four major areas of inquiry, chosen because they represent distinct theoretical approaches to women’s well-being: the human development approach focuses on enhancing the capabilities of women, the structural-relational perspective is concerned with the global reproduction of an underprivileged women workforce, the post-structuralist feminist approach investigates women workers’ subjectivities in relation to power relations, and gender and globalization literature addresses opportunities for women as well as power relations emerging with globalization. The question of women’s well-being and waged work has inspired a tremendous amount of research, but the existing research does not sufficiently recognize the emotional dimensions of well-being. This article adds a new dimension to the inquiry on women’s well-being and wage work by highlighting the potential contributions of sociological study on emotions.