ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the few aspects of a job that are most important in determining its quality are the wage it pays, the satisfaction it affords and the conditions in which it is carried out. In the West it is commonly accepted that the exercise of a skill confers job satisfaction; indeed, ceteris paribus it is usually assumed that satisfaction increases with skill. Skilled craftsmen are presumed to derive greater pleasure from their work than the unskilled; and professionals or creative artists are supposed to enjoy their work more than craftsmen. The chapter examines a number of the jobs commonly done by men and women in the USSR to see how far they differ in these respects. According to the 1959 Census, cooks had been replaced by those employed on power plants and lifting machinery as the fifth most populous occupation among manual women.
