П р а в н о и с т о р и ч е с к и ф а к у л т е т катедра «социология»

Analysis of the results

1. General data

The interpretation of quantitative data shows, thus, a two-folded image of „work” in Romania:

1. At the abstract level – work was considered as the main means to assure the success in life;

2. At the real level – work’s value was minimized as the result of its price on the work-force market.

This separation can be explained, in part, through the constant values of issues related to worries which build up the „public agenda” in 2003 Romania (BOP, May 2003): „Poverty” - 61%; „High prices” – 27.3%; „Small incomes” – 29.9%; „Unemployment” – 42.2% - and „Corruption” – 30%. These percents, which indicated a high level of „difficulty in solving current problems” for Romanians can lead one to the conclusion that ordinary citizens had assessed to minimum the value of „payment” of (or, „salary” for the) work on the work-force market.

From a gender sensitive perspective, the data of the same Barometer of the Public Opinion (BOP, May 2003) did not show significant differences – that is, there was a clear similitude between the men and women responses at the above-mentioned questions. This fact can be explained at the „aggregate” level by the positive evolution of women’s involvement in the active population (See Figure 1 in this respect):

Also, the statistical data showed that in 2000 the number of unemployed women was lower than that of men: 10.1% unemployed women as compared with 10.8% men (U.N.D.P., 2003: 105). Yet, in the same year (2000), the statistical data showed levels disadvantageous for women regarding the distribution of Internal Gross Product per gender categories. (See Figure 2 in this respect):

The „negative” elements of women’s involvement in the work-force market in Romania had also included: a higher percentage of women in the discouraged population (U.N.D.P., 2003: 103) and a high percent of them from the total inactive population (See Figure 3 in this respect).

Those data had offered a „diverse general image” of women’s situation in the Romanian work-place market:

1. 
   On one hand, the gender difference seemed to be irrelevant regarding the women’s involvement in the active population and in the unemployment;
   
2. 
   On the other, the „high risk” groups – especially the discouraged and unemployed population – are made mainly of women.
   

„..Romania seems to experiment a process of gender discrimination diffusion contrary to the traditional one. Traditionally, the gender discrimination has been based on the family traditions and, after that; it has spread toward the social relations. The present transition [that Romania faced – a.n.] seems to place the discrimination between men and women at the social level and only after that this should be extended in the realm of family relations”.

The data from „Gender Barometer” (Barometrul de Gen, 2000) showed that one can speak about various sub-types of women in Romania. The analysis of responses at the same survey questionnaire indicated the women’s aggregation in specific clusters depending on their occupational status (See Table 1 in this respect):

2. Fundamental elements of the work-force perceptions and the real situation

1. A minimal level of knowledge for various rights women have on the work-force market. In this case one can speak at the same of the lack of information regarding the general principle of „equality of chance and treatment” between men and women in the played work and a shortage of knowledge regarding the laws of work in function at present in Romania;

2. The notice of existing discriminating laws towards women both as individuals and as members of social groups (in this later case the issue is about the „family” where a woman is seen mainly as „mother”). Those negative practices were outlined both in the case of the employment both in the state and private enterprises;

3. The identification of a set of factors that limits women’s access to the work-force market: education, experience, entrance in a new work-group, work in a group made mainly by women, the physical aspect, the access at a work-place using personal relations.

Those data were convergent with those obtained at the social-general level (that is, survey results). In this last case (BOP, October 2003) women from the same age group and with the same education level had considered in a high percentage that only a small part of Romanian laws are applied (48.9%) and, much more, that only some of those laws are abided (52.5%). At the same general level, women had considered that the main two elements that had to be decisive in establish the counter-value of their work on the market ( that is, the income) should be „How well someone does his/her job” (25.4%) and „The responsibilities someone has in his/her job” (21.6%). As such, one can conclude that Romanian women stressed the relevance of maximizing the individual effort. The data converged, also, with the percent of 72.9% of women who declared that in their opinion „Competition is a good thing” (BOP, October 2003). From a qualitative point of view, at the level of target-group (women, aged 25-35 years, with a middle education level who were interviewed during the focus-groups) there was a clear attitude in favor of private initiative and work understood as responsible activity.

2.1. Peculiarities of „work” understanding

A closer analysis of group discussions had indicated some of the peculiarities in the understanding of the term „work”:

1. There was put a peculiar accent on the „organizational culture” elements –especially the role played by the atmosphere at the work-place –in the assessment of the work done:(see box 1)

2. An emphasis on the elements which belonged to the skills needed in an activity (11.96% of the total words related to this subject entered in the thematically sphere of „work”: „experience”, „professional ability”, „and qualification”); (see box 2)

3. The importance of the salary – this was mentioned in a percent of 8.22% in all group discussions;

4. The low importance of the necessary actions in order to maintain a work-place– the word „strike” was unused only three times in the focus-groups analyzed;(Box 3 )

5. From the category of terms related to „Justice” the higher frequency had the word „law” – which was mentioned 41 times in group discussions. At the same time „The Work Code” (the fundamental law in the work-field in Romania) was mentioned only one time: (Box 4 )

6. The importance of the aspects related to the „rights” any wage-worker has at his/her work-place, and this was done by the interviewed women with the cost of minimizing the relevance of „obligations” related to any professional status. (Table 2 )

As can be noticed in the above-mentioned table (See Table 2 in this respect) the women seemed to favorite a protecting normative system in economy. This situation can be explained through the persistence of the ideal image of the „Good Father Sate” (Protective State) among the Romanian interviewed women.(Box 5 )

7. Women had an ambivalent image of „work”. The work was perceived both as a difficult act – because the most frequent attribute associate to it was „hard” – and as a puzzling one – we took here into account the small number of references made by the women at the main elements of the equality of chances and treatment principle between men and women on the work place market. Thus, the women used the following words related to this issue: „equality” (three mentions); „discrimination” (eight times mentioned); „harassment” (one mention). (See in this respect Table 3): (Box 6)

8. Women made a clear-cut distinction between the assessment of work done in the „state sector” (at this they made only 84 references) and the work done in „the private sector” (at this the women made 284 references during the focus groups’ sessions). The concepts used to refer at the second type of economic activity were richer – a higher frequency had the terms: „commercial firm” (54 mentions) and „business” (36 references made to it). (See Box 7)

9. Women’s involvement in the working activities from the private economic doman was assessed by the interviewed women both as a „risk” (40 mentions) and as a good economic solution. This fact was in fact a mere reflection at the middle-social level of the opinion recorded in the survey data at the questions related to this issue. Thus, in May 2002 (BOP, May 2002) only 15.1% of the women interviewed in a national survey declared that in the next year they intend to open their own business.

10. At the same time, the analysis of the group discussions about the issues related to the private enterprises owned by women had showed a low level of financial information they should need in order to carry out this kind of activity. Thus, women had made only few references at „banks” (nine times in eight focus-groups), „interest” (also nine mentions) and „mortgage” (two mentions): (Box 8 )

2.2. Opinions about obstacles to the access at the work-place

The image Romanian women had regarding their access at the work-place market was extremely self-contradictory:

1. The women intervieweed during the focus-groups did not trust about the opportunities they have to access at a job both in a state or in a private enterprise:

a. Although they were the supporters of a „Protective” State („The State which gives, which provides rights”) the women were, at the same time, less willing to act in favour the rights they already have in the work domain.

b. At the same time, althought they had recognised the opportunities related to their involvement in a private economic enterprise they did not show any intent to clearly act in that direction.

2. The Romanian women had promoted and sustained an „ideal image” about the relation between women and the work-force market . The „ideal women” that resulted from the group discussions was mainly seen as „mother” and „wife” and not as an individual with her own rights and responsibilities.

3. Starting from the support they had offered to the „patriarchal pattern” at force in in the payed work domain the women had characterised themselves as acting under many external compulsions (all of them being related to the issue of „payed work”): compulsions from the state part, from the employees, from the work-colleagues, from the responsibilities the society imposes on them.

2.3. Opinions about unemployment

The unemployment issue was also analyzed at the level of statistical data and that of qualitative results (the focus-group discussions). Regarding the general image offered by the survey data one can notice that there was a puzzling situation of women’s attitude towards this issue (BOP, May 2002):

1. Women had declared in a high percentage – 36.8% - that they were unemployed at least once in their life until the time of the survey;

2. They had declared that they had frequently changed their job. The percent of them who declared that was above the average of a national sample – 35.3% (BOP, May 2003);

3. The Romanian women declared that they foreseen as highly possible that „this year” to lost their job and became unemployed;

4. The women assessed in a percentage of 72% that they could find a new job if they were unemployed, although this would take over a year for 52.6% of them;

5. Only 29.5% of them declared that they accept to work illegally (without any written work contract);

6. Only 20.2% of the interviewed women intended to change the present job in the near future;

7. A small percentage of them – 17.3% - intended to start their own business in the future.

The general image those statistical data revealed is that of a woman who had no personal initiative and who tacitly accept the present situation – that is, she had already internalized and accepted the „obstacles” related to hers future integration in the work-force market if she would be unemployed.

The analysis of qualitative data showed also the importance of unemployment for Romanian women. As such, one can register during the focus-group discussion prevalence of the use of the concept „unemployed” (91 times mentioned) and the minimization of the use for the words related to direct actions in direction of maintaining the jobs – „protest”, „strike” (See in this respect Table 4).

The group discussion also revealed the existence of central elements related to the unemployment issue:

1. The „centrality” of the work-contract in women’s discourse. The work contract was seen as a sign which delineated the working periods from the non-working ones (Box 9)

2. The maximum importance attached to the social „levers” represented by acquaintances – or „friends” – understood as simply means to access at a new work-place. The price for that attitude and behavior was to let aside the legal requirements (such as skills and knowledge):(Box 10)

In sum, even if the „unemployment” seemed to represent a major issue to the interviewed women, the group discussion revealed the existence of a „resignation” feeling regarding that situation. The status of „unemployed” person is accepted by the Romanian women as a possible – although not „desirable” – situation, as something quite „normal”.

Каталог: sociolabswu -> izsledvanija
izsledvanija -> Катедра „социология” икономика и социология
izsledvanija -> Съдържание религия, етнос, цивилизация
izsledvanija -> Will Secular Religions continue in the future?
izsledvanija -> Правни аспекти на религиозната свобода в българия пламена Попова

Изтегляне 2.58 Mb.

Сподели с приятели: