Activity that you do, especially to earn money or reach a goal. As a verb, it means to do tasks or to operate correctly.
From Old English 'weorc' or 'worċ', meaning deed, action, or labor. It is related to German 'Werk' (work, creation).
We use the same word for effort and for functioning: 'I work' and 'the machine works.' That link quietly suggests that working is about making things happen, whether you’re a person or a device.
Language around 'work' historically centered paid, often male-dominated labor, while unpaid domestic and caregiving work—largely done by women—was minimized or not counted as 'real work.' Phrases like 'women don’t work' for full-time caregivers reflect this bias and have influenced economic and social policy.
Use 'work' to include paid and unpaid labor, including caregiving, domestic, and community work, and avoid assuming typical jobs or roles by gender. Be explicit when you mean paid employment vs. other forms of work.
["labor","job (for paid)","care work","household work"]
When discussing economic or social history, explicitly recognize women’s unpaid and underpaid work, including domestic labor, agricultural work, and informal economies that have often been excluded from official accounts.
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