The future of work: some thoughts about the roles of men and women in the transition to a she future

Abstract

There are two contrasting visions of post-industrial society. The HE (hyper-expansionist) view of the future assumes that the post-industrial revolution will be a transition to a super-industrial way of life. High technology industries like aerospace, computing and telecommunications will set the pace, supported by the knowledge-based, information-handling professions and occupations. The service industries will continue to overtake manufacturing as the growth points of the economy. Personal and social services, including the provision of care, amenity and entertainment, will continue to become more institutionalized and professionalized. By accelerating these existing trends in modern society-and by relying on advanced science and technology in areas like space colonization, nuclear energy, automation, genetic engineering and behavioural manipulation-the super-industrial peoples will be able to break out of further limits to material growth.

The SHE (sane, human, ecological) view of the future is based on the perception that the most important new frontiers are now psychological and social (personal and human), not technical and economic. Whereas the industrial revolution was primarily about the development of things, the post-industrial revolution will be primarily about the development of people; it will enable human beings to break out of the psychological and social limits which thwart further progress today, just as the industrial revolution enabled them to break out of the constraints which limited their technical and physical capabilities 200 years ago. This means that the transition from industrial to post-industrial society will involve a change of direction, not an acceleration of industrial trends.

This paper discusses changes in the roles of men and women, especially their work roles, as a central aspect of the transition to a SHE future.