Interviews with 13 women who had worked in temporary clerical positions identified ways in which they are alienated from work, from others, and from themselves; the ways they actively resist alienation; and constraints on resistance. Results revealed a concern that temporary workers are disproportionately those already marginalized, such as women…

The authors critically examine the analysis by Hull, Friedman, and Roger finding that deskilling and heightened alienation are not necessarily the outcomes of increased technology. The authors suggest that the outcome of technological change be approached as an indeterminate process shaped by prevailing relations between workers and management.…

Presents new evidence on the effect of technology on worker alienation, using data from the organizational level as well as the individual level. In the latter approach, the impact of automation on the work of newspaper printers is examined. (SK)

Telephone survey of 2,592 people found that their sense of personal control was positively affected by nonroutine, autonomous, fulfilling, or nonisolated work. Women's low personal control was attributed to overrepresentation in part-time work and homemaking. Homemakers reported more autonomy than did paid workers; female paid workers performed…

Work dissatisfaction and general alienation of incumbents in seven nonfactory and nonoffice occupations ranging across the prestige hierarchy are examined and compared. Unpredicted findings are discussed, bringing in some of the workers' own comments to help explain the quantitative results; and two hypotheses for further investigation are…

Data from the first national study of technological change show that proportionately more women than men operate machines, are more exposed to machines that have alienating effects, and suffer more from the negative effects of technological change. (Author/SSH)