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In this activity, we will reflect on our personal relationships to work. To respond, click on the blue "Plus sign" at the bottom right of the screen to add a new post. You are welcome to remain anonymous for this activity and change the color of your sticky note. Respond to the following prompts and read what others have to say.

1. How did you define work before watching the lecture?

2. What kind of work do you rely on for your daily survival?

3. What kind of work do you perform for others?

4. Do you feel pressure to perform certain kinds of work or carry out that work in a particular way (broadly defined) because of your gender? If so, give us one example.

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Wages for Housework was a campaign led by the International Feminist Collective in the 1970s. Read the demands of the New York Wages for Housework Committee and respond to the following prompts:

1. What are some of the demands proposed by the Wages for Housework movement?

2. How do you feel about these demands? Do you agree or disagree with them and why?

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Before watching the lecture, I define work as something that is done in exchange for something else (i.e. money, knowledge, better relationships, etc) as well as things that you have to do for nothing in return.

In my life, I work every day of the week in order to make enough money to pay my bills, I have to go get groceries on the bus and I have to work to get my education.

For others, I am a roommate to 3 others so I have to do housework in order to maintain our living space in a way that is respectful and thoughtful of my space and others. I also have a cat that I take care of.

No, I do not feel pressured to perform certain kinds of work because of my gender.

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Before watching the lecture, I defined work as something done (a task, an activity, etc.) that requires some level of effort, knowledge, and competence.

In my day-to-day as a full time student, I complete academic related work in order to earn my degree. I also engage in household related work.

For others, I engage in household related work in my shared space since I live with roommates (cleaning, washing dishes, etc.).

I don't feel pressure to perform certain kinds of work or carry out that work in a particular way because of my gender.

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I thought work was any action that makes something valuable or helps you reach a goal before the lesson.

I depend on schoolwork to stay on track for graduation and part-time jobs to pay my bills every day.

I help other people when they need it with things like cooking and cleaning.

Because I'm a woman, I don't really feel like I have to do certain jobs, but sometimes I do hard work because that's what guys do.

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1. Before watching lecture, I would define work as completing tasks that require effort (e.g., physical, emotional, mental, social, etc.) in order to reach a certain outcome, whether it's a paycheck, experience, enjoyment, learning, or even for nothing at all.

2. I have to depend on educational work, like going to classes and completing assignments, in order to stay on track. In addition to this, I also depend on tasks like going grocery shopping or meal prepping to meet my basic needs.

3. I currently live in a dorm and help keep shared spaces clean, so it feels fair/comfortable for everyone. When I'm back home in New Jersey, I also take on housework and help care for our three cats by feeding them and looking after them.

4. I don't think I feel pressure to perform a specific type of work based on my gender identity, at least not in ways that I've consciously noticed.

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1. I defined work as the process of producing something to achieve a broader goal.

2. I rely on food production. I don’t cook (probably not the best life habit to have).

3. I do laundry and clean for my partner and me.

4. Yes. I’m a woman, and I sometimes feel a bit self-conscious that I don’t fit into traditional “woman” roles like cooking and cleaning. I joke that I have “boy ADHD” (before anyone comes after me, I am diagnosed with ADHD) as my excuse for being messy, “loud,” and impulsive, but the truth is I’ve just never fit the quiet, polished version of “womanhood” people expect, especially my mom. She’s a very traditional (yet somehow liberal and atheist) housewife who is extremely focused on appearance, which is why I think she is so critical of me. I’m a girl, but I don’t act like one in the way she thinks I should. I grew up with her blaming my ADHD for everything, from not wearing makeup, to my messy room, to my wardrobe. Growing up with that made me really aware of how gender expectations can trap women, and for me, it’s tied to the white housewife model I saw at home.

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1. Before watching the lecture, I defined work as a form of getting tasks complete. This can range from household chores, academic homework and lessons, or projects related to academia or career/job-wise.

2. In terms of work for daily survival, I work on household chores like cooking, washing dishes, cleaning my room, doing laundry, etc. So I can live a comfortable and clean life for myself. Although I have a job, I’m not financially dependent on it for basic living expenses. I live with my middle-class parents who cover household costs and don’t rely on me for financial support.

3. For others, I guess this could be me completing tasks and assignments for school. I work in school to earn a good grade, to then graduate, and hopefully earn a more stable career so I can perform work for others in a job/career-setting.

4. Right now I cannot think of a personal pressure to perform certain kinds of work according to my gender.

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1. Before watching the lecture, I defined work as labor that is performed out of necessity for a greater cause. This would primarily involve what is expected of someone rather than what is pleasurable.

2. For daily survival, I rely on my job to help me pay for the essentials (rent, gas, groceries, etc.). I also rely on housework (cooking, cleaning, etc.) to keep myself fed and comfortable in my space and educational work to stay on track with my academic pursuits.

3. When I do housework, the majority of the time I am helping to keep the space clean for my roommates as well as me. I will also sometimes help my family or friends by cooking for them or giving rides!

4. With my current situation, I do not feel any pressure to perform certain kinds of work because of my gender. This is primarily because I live with other women who are my peers.

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1. Some demands proposed by the campaign for Wages for Housework were to essentially have autonomy over their decisions such as, compensation for household duties, child birth, the decision to have children, or even get a second job. It is not having one thing or the other but the having the freedom to choose, having the duties be considered work, and being compensated fairly for it.

2. I agree with some aspects. The fact that these tasks often fell at their responsibility is not fair. If the women had a primary job, they would work there, then be expected to make dinner, clean up house, and be mom the rest of the night. To ask for compensation, I also understand, especially if the women want to gain financial independence, but I do not think it is feasible to pay every woman completing housework or being a mom a salary. Some of the problems being mentioned could be solved between the spouses, but maybe the power dynamic is imbalanced. I am not sure what a happy medium would be though, because even now people are struggling to work, keep up the household, be a present parent and more. There are more social services available now though that maybe aid in these aspects, but you almost have to reach rock bottom in order to qualify for things like housing or food assistance.

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1. Before watching the lecture, I broadly defined work as action that is taken with the understanding that there will be a reward of some form in the long and or short term future. For example, the action of exercising to receive the short term benefits of serotonin release and the long term health benefits, or working a job to receive a wage in the short term and experience/credibility in the long term.

2. The daily work that I perform for my daily survival is varied. I believe that the academic efforts of a college student should be considered work, but I don't know if it necessary for my daily survival. I think that it is valuable and essential for my long term goals but not really day-to-day survival. I think that work that I do for my job to earn a wage is more essential for daily survival. The same goes for acts such as eating, drinking, cleaning, and self-care. I guess these feel more like work to me as they are very important in the immediate future.

3. I feel like this is a more tricky question to answer. I do work for others when I maintain order and cleanliness of my space and communal space in my house. Furthermore, in the general public, we perform work by acting certain ways to maintain happiness and cohesion (being polite, avoiding dispute, treating others well, following laws etc). I also think listening to others is a form of work as well. Being an outlet for others to vent to can be emotionally draining for the listener but freeing and helpful for the speaker but it does come with a cost of some sorts. I feel like this is a much more nuanced question but its quite interesting to think about.

4. I don't think I feel pressure to perform certain types of work because of my gender. This might have been something I was worried about when I was a kid, but as I've grown older, those barriers and categories have seemed to fade away naturally. There might be lingering effects of this that influence me today, but if so they are subconscious.

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1. I did not have a conscious definition of work before the lecture. I knew that in America, the definition of work included payment. However, there were things such as schoolwork or yard work. The common denominator I could think of was that energy was exerted for a desirable outcome for oneself or society.

2. I rely on the work on MTS bus drivers to get to school regularly. I rely on farmers for the foundation of my food access. I rely on sanitation workers for clean water.

3. I perform emotional work. I listen to friends when they go through tough times, validate or give solutions depending on needs, and show up for them.

4. I feel pressure to do emotional work sometimes because I am AFAB. There s a pressure to be a nurturing individual and work with children (which I do).

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1. Before watching the lecture, I defined work as something that I have to do in order to gain something I need. If I want money, I have to work a shift; if I want food, I have to shop and cook; if I want clean room and clothes, I have to do chores.

2. My daily work consists of my job, my house chores, school work, and taking care of my cats.

3. I have to clean or do my chores to help out around the house. I also work at my local community center where I help set up for classes and events, sign people up for classes, and basically hold down the fort.

4. Thankfully I haven't felt that for my current job since we all do the same thing. My coworkers also respect me in that they don't ask me to do more than what I am capable of or basically treat me the same as they would themselves.

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1. I defined work as labor towards something that accumulates over time.

2. I rely on cooking to survive, as well as my job to make money towards necessities.

3. I work at my job so I can provide my family and partner with food and nice things.

4. As the oldest daughter, I often find myself buying my siblings food whenever I want non-homemade food, as I feel as a provider towards them. I feel guilty if I only get something for me and not for the rest of my family.

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1. Before lecture I thought of work as something one does in exchange for compensation. I also considered activities such has housework or homework which would just be tasks that require time and effort to be done.

2. I require going to my job to get money for my daily survival. Housework such as dishes or cooking food is also needed daily.

3. At my job I provide a service and work with others to help them with their projects. I also sometimes cook for my family.

4. I sometimes feel pressure to contribute more to household tasks like laundry, dishes, or cooking compared to the men I live with as these are often labeled as chores that women do.

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1. I defined work as a task that required force.

2. For daily survival I must work to find food.

3. Work includes physical assistance in yardwork & housework. It also includes paid labor such as from my employment.

4. My paid job does have requirements and deadlines that must be met. This adds pressure to ensure work is up to their standards and done correctly.

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1. Before watching the lecture, I thought of work as any physical/mental labor I'd do in exchange for some kind of compensation.

2. In terms of daily survival, I have a job on campus that is the main way I'm able to support myself (food and bills).

3. I live alone off campus, I feel like most of the unpaid, "invisible" work I do is more for myself haha.

4. I would say there are some pressures to perform a certain way at work. I work in a nanofabrication lab on campus, and there is a very obvious imbalance in the number of men and women there. As a new hire and even now, I feel pressure to not seem helpless or inexperienced in this setting.

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Before watching the lecture, I defined work as an activity done for a wage, but I also acknowledge invisible labor, or other forms of labor that do not receive compensation.

The work I rely on for my daily survival is primarily agricultural. Without food, we can't live.

The work I perform for others is tending to almost all of the household upkeep in my suite. Since I'm here the most and I have high cleaning standards, I don't mind being the one to primarily do them.

I do feel a pressure to perform certain kinds of work because of my gender. While tending to the household is for my own comfort in a nongendered way, I acknowledge that a part of it has subconsciously arisen due to the expectations women have to be the ones to tend to the house, especially coming from a family where machista culture is deep seated, despite not considering myself a woman.

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1. I defined work as a task to be done

2. I engage in work that meets my physical, immediate needs such as food and water. Other work i engage in is my school work

3. I do my part to keep my apartment clean for my housemates

4. I feel pressure to be more soft spoken and less assertive in worry that I will come off as demanding as a woman.