Klasseanalyse i teori og praksis: Norsk arbeidsliv 1920-2003

Abstract

Abstract

The focus of this article is class and power relations in the Norwegian labour market from 1920 to 2002/3. Three set of questions related to shifts in the class structure are addressed: 1) the class composition and structure of the labour force, 2) the organization of work and the power of employees, and 3) the relevance of gender and sector. The Norwegian working class is numerically at its peak in the 1960s and 1970s. We can observe an increase in the proportions of higher and intermediate white collar employees and a decrease in the working class after 1982. The decrease in the working class after 1982 is more dramatic if we use work autonomy (Wright's power model) and less profound if we relate it to subordinate low skill jobs (Wright's exploitation model). Women are still over-represented in subordinate positions, but a significant higher proportion of women are currently managers or supervisors. The percentages of managers/supervisors increase in both the private and public sector after 1982. Our data does not lend support to the idea that public sector work is less hierarchically organized. The article is based on census data from 1920-1970, survey data from 1982 and 1995/6 (Wright project), and the European Social Survey 2002/3. The data allows us to give a more comprehensive picture of changes in the Norwegian class structure than previous research.

Keywords: Class analysis, organization of work, social structure, hierarchy, gender, post industrial stratification