What is Occupation? Types of Occupation, Gender and Work

What is Occupation

People are engaged in different types of work or profession. Any work that is done to earn a living is called an occupation.

Some people are educated and some are uneducated. The uneducated people use their skills learned from their parents to earn a living. All people- educated or uneducated- use their skills, tools and instruments and work hard to make their occupation more efficient and effective.

  • Anju’s father is a potter who makes pots with clay on a potter’s wheel. He learned this art from his father. Practice has made him perfect.
  • Meena’s father is a bus driver. He is a driver in the State Transport Corporation. He drives the bus very carefully and follows the traffic rules.
  • Nina’s mother is a doctor. She works in the neighbouring hospital. She is a good surgeon and has successfully operated many patients. She became a doctor after studying in a medical college.
  • Anup’s mother is a designer. She designs and stitches clothes of different patterns. She makes very attractive embroidery designs on clothes with the help of embroidery machine. She uses special types of machines, needles, pairs of scissors and colourful threads.
  • Monu’s father is a mechanic. He is good at repairing two-wheelers. He uses tools like spanner, wrenches of different sizes, nuts and bolts and screwdriver to repair two-wheelers.
  • Rita’s father is a washerman. He washes clothes. He uses washing soap and powder to wash clothes. To wash clothes, he goes to a pond. His father was also a washerman.
  • Varun’s mother is a teacher. She teaches students with the aid of chalk, blackboard, charts, models, tape recorder and computer.
  • Tanmay’s neighbour is a cobbler. He repairs shoes and bags. He uses big needles, small nails and hammer.
  • Arif’s father constructs bridges, roads and buildings. He is a civil engineer. He studied engineering from an engineering college.

How do People Learn Skills

In most cases, people engaged in occupations like pottery, tailoring, mending shoes and bags, repairing cycle or vehicles, etc. have learnt the job from their father.

Others like doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers and scientists have studied and are trained for a particular job. They function as the above practitioners because they have received a certificate after a particular education. Such people are called professionals.

Most of the people in cities and towns work in different offices and departments. In villages, people work in the fields and cultivate food and cash crops. Some people go out of their village or state or country and work for their living.

Gender and Work

In olden days, there was a difference in the type of job chosen or given to male and female. Women did household work and took care of the children. They never dared to be in politics or army or to drive a car or any other vehicle. They were not allowed to go to school. Even if some got the opportunity to go to school, they were not allowed to go for higher education. The belief of the society was that women are meant for house-keeping and child bearing.

The modern society believes that women too have skills and talents. These should be used for the development of both the family and the society. All jobs can be performed equally by men and women. As a result, girls’ education got importance. Girls are now sent for higher education.

As such, many eminent women contribute towards the society and they have also become the pride of our country. We see women driving cars, scooties and motor bikes. Many women are working in police department and army.

There are also women Prime Ministers and Chief Minsters in our country as well as in other countries.

Thus, women are employed in most of the sectors for work. Today, they have equal voice in the society especially in decision making.

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