What Is the Division of Labor?

Division of labor refers to the division of labor, that is, the division and independence of various social labors. ^[1]

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Division of labor refers to the division of labor, that is, the division and independence of various social labors. ^[1]

Generation and development of division of labor

The division of labor is the inevitable result of a certain tendency in human nature, although this tendency is very slow and gradually developed.

Division of labor arises at a certain stage of social development. At first, human society was just a division of behavior, and then a spontaneous or natural division of labor emerged due to talents, needs, contingencies, and so on. This "naturally occurring" division of labor is not yet a true social division of labor. Social division of labor in the true sense emerged later in the primitive society. At that time, due to population growth and further development of production, there were three major divisions of society: the first was the separation of agriculture and animal husbandry, forming workers specialized in agriculture or animal husbandry; the second was handicraft and agriculture The separation of specialized artisans and independent craftsmen appeared; the third was the emergence of commerce, which produced businessmen specialized in commercial activities. In the process of three social divisions of labor, the separation and opposition of material production labor and spiritual production labor (see material production and spiritual production), manual labor and mental labor (see mental labor and physical labor) gradually formed. Only from the time when material labor and spiritual labor were separated did they begin to form a true division of labor. The main differences between social division of labor and natural division are: it is no longer a material production that is limited to the family according to physiological characteristics such as gender and age The division of labor is a broad division of labor divided into social areas according to the type and form of labor; it is no longer an accidental division of labor, but a stable social division with a fixed professional division; It is a division of labor restricted by private ownership and class opposition. Social division of labor is prominently manifested by different people performing mental and physical labor. In a class society, working people are excluded from engaging in mental work, and social divisions have a clear class-opposing nature. Marx called this kind of professional division of labor forced to engage in some kind of labor and fixed in certain labor activities.

Social division of labor develops and changes with the development of society. Social division of labor is determined by the level of productivity (including the types and characteristics of production tools) and the nature of production relations. At different social and historical stages, the division of tools has different characteristics and forms. Due to the small scale of production and the low level of economic and scientific and technological development in the slave society and feudal society, the division of labor is at a lower stage of underdevelopment. In the feudal society, the division of labor in agriculture was hindered by the small-scale operation of land. In the industry, no division of labor was implemented within the artisanal industries at all, and the division of labor between artisanal industries was also very small. With the emergence of modern industry, the development of capitalist economy and science and technology, the extensive development of social division of labor has been caused, which is mainly reflected in the increase of new production areas and production sectors, the emergence of partial labor in enterprises or factories, and the specialization of production processes The division of labor is becoming more and more detailed, and a complicated division of labor system has been formed in the entire society, and the division of labor has been expanded to the international scope, and division of labor between countries has emerged. The specialized division of labor in capitalism allows the fixed nature of the division of labor in class society to obtain its fullest performance, and the individual laborer is completely subordinated to the division of labor.

Division of labor

The division of professionalism based on collaboration in the social labor system. Simply put, the division of labor is divided into natural and social divisions of labor, which are divisions of gender, division of talents, and so on.

Social division of labor is the real division of labor based on the natural division of labor with the development of production, such as the division of physical and mental labor.

Social division of labor is a complex system with different types and levels. Different stages of historical development, specific conditions in different countries, and different systems of social division of labor. Generally speaking, the social division of labor can be divided into: the division of productive labor and non-productive labor. The division of material production labor and spiritual production labor in production labor. Social material production labor includes: general division of labor, that is, the division of labor in various major production fields such as industry, agriculture, transportation, etc .; special division of labor, that is, division of labor in different production sectors in the same production field; Division of labor. Spiritual productive labor includes the division of labor between politics, scientific research, culture and education, and the division of labor within various fields. The division of non-productive labor includes the division of social specific management areas, social service areas, business and trade areas, and the division of labor within various fields. Social division of labor is also divided into domestic and international social divisions, basic and non-basic divisions of society. Different types and levels of division of labor are intertwined and mutually restrained, social systems are different, and the content and nature of various divisions are not the same.

Work

Social division of labor has an important role in the development of human history. "On the one hand, it is represented by historical progress and necessary development factors in the process of socioeconomic formation. On the other hand, it is a civilized and sophisticated means of exploitation" ("Marx and Engels" The Complete Works, Vol. 23, p. 403). The specific manifestations are as follows: It has a significant role in promoting the development of social economy, science, and culture. In a certain sense, division of labor is productivity. Division of labor is a powerful means to improve labor efficiency and technical level. Division of labor and union are inter-conditions. The development of division of labor promotes the unity, union, and collaboration of the production process to form socialized production, without breaking new ground.

Production area. The degree of division of labor development is an important indicator of the level of productivity development. Division of labor is also an important condition for the production and development of commodity production and commodity exchange. Under the condition of low productivity development, due to the division of mental and physical labor, some people can have time to specialize in scientific and cultural activities, creating conditions for the development of science and culture. Without division of labor, there will be no development of human science and culture. Division of labor is an important condition for the creation of private ownership and class, and an important reason for various contradictions in class society. At the end of primitive society, due to the division of labor in society, some people possessed the means of production, specialized in politics and social management, and became the dominant exploiting class; others lost the means of production and could only engage in heavy manual labor and become The dominated and exploited classes created class opposition. Marx pointed out: "From the very beginning, the division of labor included the distribution of labor conditions, labor tools and materials, and therefore also the division of accumulated capital among the private owners, and thus also the division between capital and labor. And the various forms of ownership itself. The more developed the division of labor and the greater the accumulation, the more severe this division will be "(Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 73). The division of labor caused industrial and commercial labor and agricultural labor, the separation of urban and rural areas, and the opposition between urban and rural interests, which also caused the division between personal and public interests. This spontaneous division of labor is not voluntary, and it becomes an alien force for people to deprive people of their activities. "This power drives people, not people who control it" (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 31). The fixed division of labor makes everyone in the society confined within a narrow range of professional activities. In order to train a single activity, all other physical and mental abilities have been sacrificed, resulting in a "one-sided" development of deformity. "People."

Division of labor results

The improvement in labor productivity, and most of the skill proficiency and judgment reflected in where labor productivity is directed or applied, appear to be the result of division of labor.

With the division of labor, the same number of workers can complete much more workload than in the past for four reasons:

First, the improvement of the laborer's proficiency will inevitably increase the amount of work he can complete.

Second, changing from one job to another often takes some time, and the benefits gained from saving this time are much greater than we first imagined.

Third, the use of appropriate mechanical energy can simplify labor and save labor to a certain extent. As a result of the division of labor, each person's full attention will naturally be devoted to a simple thing. So as long as there is room for improvement in the nature of the work, among the workers employed in various labor departments, some will soon find some easier and more convenient way to complete their respective work.

Fourth, the division of labor accumulates over time, and the proficiency and experience generated by majors rise to theories, which play a virtuous cycle in the development of a major.

Fixed division of labor

The fixed division of labor is related to private ownership and class opposition. It is an inevitable phenomenon when the degree of development of productive forces and science and technology is not high. With the rapid development of productive forces and science and technology, and the annihilation of private ownership and class opposition, it will also be attributed to annihilation. This is the inevitable development of history that does not follow human will. The specialized division of labor is a necessary link in production and an inherent requirement for the development of social productive forces. It will never be eliminated. On the contrary, it will continue to develop with the development of social productive forces and science and technology.