The Value of Work — Class 6 Social Science
Exploring Society: India and Beyond · Chapter 13
CBSE Class 6 community
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5- Mathematics
- Science
- + 3 more
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
- Space weighted by chapter size
- Charts from the book's own data
- Traps corrected
Chapter summary
Key ideas & terms
- Economic activity
- An activity done in exchange for money or money's worth, such as selling goods or providing paid services.
- Non-economic activity
- An activity that does not generate income, done out of love, care, gratitude or respect.
- Salary
- A fixed, regular payment, usually monthly, made by an employer to an employee.
- Wage
- A payment made by an employer to a worker for a specific period of work.
- Payment in kind
- A non-cash payment, such as goods, received for work performed.
- Value addition
- The extra monetary value created by the skill, time and effort that transform something into a more valuable form.
Extra questions & answers
What are the two main groups of activities people engage in?
Economic activities and non-economic activities.
What is an economic activity?
An activity that involves money — done in exchange for money or money's worth — such as selling goods or earning a fee.
What is a non-economic activity?
An activity that does not generate income but is done out of feelings like love, care, gratitude and respect, such as cooking for family.
How can the same person do both an economic and a non-economic activity?
For example, Rohan earns a salary as a software engineer (economic) and on weekends teaches computer skills for free (non-economic).
What is the difference between a salary and a wage?
A salary is a fixed regular payment, usually monthly, while a wage is paid for a specific period of work, often daily.
What is payment in kind?
A non-cash payment, such as goods of equal value, received for work — like a labourer paid partly in mangoes.
What is value addition?
It is the extra monetary value created by the skill, time and effort that turn something into a more valuable form.
Explain value addition using the carpenter example.
A carpenter buys wood for ₹600 and sells a chair for ₹1,000; the extra ₹400 is the value added by his skill, time and effort.
What is sevā and where is it seen?
Sevā is selfless service done without expecting anything in return, seen in langars at gurudwaras and prasād at temples.
Why do non-economic activities still hold value?
Although they do not involve money, they contribute to social welfare, personal wellbeing and the overall quality of life.
The Big Questions
1. What are the different types of activities that people engage in?
People engage in two main types of activities. Economic activities are those done for money or money's worth, such as a pilot flying an aircraft, a shopkeeper selling uniforms, a software engineer making applications, a carpenter making furniture or a farmer selling vegetables. Non-economic activities are those done out of love, care, respect, gratitude or duty without expecting money, such as a grandfather teaching children for free, parents cooking for the family, or youth helping grandparents.
2. What is their contribution to our everyday lives?
Economic activities provide us with goods and services, employment and income, and keep the economy running. They give us food, clothes, transport, education and health services, and add monetary value at each stage. Non-economic activities provide emotional support, care and social bonding. They improve our well-being, teach values like sharing and selfless service or seva, keep families and communities together and make life meaningful, even though they do not directly generate money.
LET'S EXPLORE
What activities did the people in Anu’s and Kabir’s story engage in? Mention them in the table given below:
Character and activities mentioned in the story are: Geeta Aunty - working as a pilot in the Indian Air Force; Kabir’s grandfather - providing free Geography classes to neighbourhood kids, tending to the vegetable garden, running errands for the home; Anu’s parents (Appa and Maa) - running a shop that sells uniforms and other ready-made garments, Maa also contributes to a voluntary group that teaches knitting to women in the community; Anu’s elder brother Rohan - working as a software engineer in a company that makes computer applications, and volunteering on weekends to teach computer skills to youth in the youth development programme of the nearby college.
LET'S EXPLORE
In the table given on page 185, did you notice the third empty column? Label this column ‘economic / non-economic activity’. Now classify them according to the nature of activity.
If we label the third column as economic / non-economic activity, the classification is: Geeta Aunty (Air Force pilot, receives salary) - economic activity; Kabir’s grandfather teaching Geography for free - non-economic activity; Kabir’s grandfather tending vegetable garden for family - non-economic activity; Kabir’s grandfather running errands for home - non-economic activity; Anu’s parents running the uniform shop - economic activity; Anu’s mother teaching knitting voluntarily to women - non-economic activity; Rohan working as software engineer for salary - economic activity; Rohan volunteering to teach computer skills on weekends - non-economic activity.
THINK ABOUT IT
When Kabir’s grandfather voluntarily teaches the neighbourhood kids for free, is that an economic activity or a non-economic activity? How is it different from your teachers teaching you at school? Discuss with your classmates.
Kabir’s grandfather teaching for free is a non-economic activity because he does not receive any money, salary or fee for it. He does it out of love, care and a sense of seva. Teachers who teach in school perform an economic activity because they are employed by the school and receive a regular salary for their work. Even though the nature of work, teaching, looks similar, the presence or absence of monetary compensation makes one non-economic and the other economic.
What are some non-economic activities that are important to you and your family? Why are they valuable?
Examples for a student could be parents helping with homework, cooking meals for the family, caring for grandparents when they are sick, cleaning the house together, or volunteering to clean a neighbourhood park. They are valuable because they create love and trust, keep the family healthy and happy, teach good values and strengthen social bonds. They improve quality of life and well-being, which money alone cannot buy.
THINK ABOUT IT
On your way from home to school today, can you recall the various economic activities that people are engaged in? In what ways do you think those people are paid?
On the way to school we can see many economic activities: a bus or auto driver transporting people, a shopkeeper selling stationery, a vegetable seller, a tailor stitching clothes, a doctor at a clinic, and construction workers building a road. They are paid in different ways. A bus driver or post office worker gets a monthly salary, a daily-wage worker or farm labourer gets a wage paid daily, a doctor or lawyer gets a fee for service, a shopkeeper or baker earns profit by selling goods, and sometimes workers get payment in kind, such as a farm labourer getting part of his payment as mangoes.
LET'S EXPLORE
1. Baker
✓ Creates monetary value. A baker bakes bread, biscuits and cakes and sells them in the market for money. Example: Sale of bread at
2. Tailor
✓ Creates monetary value. A tailor stitches clothes and charges a fee from customers. Example: Charges
3. Farmers repairing their tractor
No ✓ if repairing their own tractor for own farm use - this is self-help and does not involve payment from others, so it is non-economic. If the same farmer repairs tractors for other farmers for money, it would become economic.
4. Doctor
✓ Creates monetary value. A doctor examines patients and charges a fee for consultation and treatment. Example: Fee of
5. Parents cooking dinner for their family
No ✓ - This is a non-economic activity done out of love and care for family. No money is exchanged, though it has great social and emotional value.
6. Scientist
✓ Creates monetary value. A scientist working in a laboratory, research institute or company receives a salary, and inventions can be sold or create products that are sold. Example: A scientist employed by a company gets a monthly salary of
7. Person taking care of a sick grandparent
No ✓ - This is a non-economic activity done out of respect and affection. No monetary payment is involved, but it provides immense care and support.
8.
✓ Example added: Pottery maker - makes earthen pots and sells them in the market. Example: Sells a pot for
9.
✓ Example added: Bus driver - drives passengers from one place to another and earns a monthly salary or daily wage. Example: Receives salary of
THINK ABOUT IT
Many communities in India have similar practices that involve community participation. Can you identify a few from your area?
Yes. Examples include community cleaning drives under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, collective tree plantation on Van Mahotsav, organising langar or community kitchens in gurudwaras, distributing prasad in temples, and neighbourhood help during floods or other emergencies where people collect food and clothes for those affected.
We celebrate many festivals in India. During these festivals, people gather to organise all the various activities. They decorate the place together and share the food that they cook. Are these non-economic activities? Why do you think they still hold value?
Yes, organising festivals together, decorating and sharing food cooked at home are mostly non-economic activities because people do not do them for money. They still hold great value because they bring people together, create joy and belonging, preserve culture and traditions, and teach cooperation and sharing. They strengthen community bonds and make everyone feel included.
Can you identify community programmes that have been undertaken by your school or in your locality? What did you observe during these programmes?
In many schools, programmes like Swachh Bharat cleaning of the school and nearby streets, Van Mahotsav tree planting in the school garden, and health or literacy camps are undertaken. During these programmes I observed students and teachers working together, local residents joining voluntarily, no payment being expected, and a sense of pride and satisfaction when the area became cleaner and greener. It showed how collective effort can improve the neighbourhood for everyone.
Questions, activities and projects
1. How are economic activities different from non-economic activities?
Economic activities involve money or money's worth and are done to earn income, salary, wage, fee or profit. Examples are a shopkeeper selling bags, a lawyer earning a fee, or a carpenter adding value to wood and selling a chair for
2. What kind of economic activities do people engage in? Illustrate with examples.
People engage in many economic activities that add value and are paid for. These include: producing goods like a baker baking bread or a carpenter making furniture; selling goods in a market like farmers selling harvest; providing services like a doctor treating patients for a fee, a truck driver transporting goods for wages, or a software engineer developing applications for a salary; and manufacturing activities like workers in a car factory. All involve exchange of money or payment in cash and kind and involve value addition.
3. There is great value attached to people who are engaged in community service activities. Comment on this statement.
Community service, or seva, is highly valued because it is selfless and does not expect money in return. Examples are serving food in a langar at the Golden Temple, distributing prasad in temples, or participating in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Van Mahotsav. Such activities promote gratitude, satisfaction, cleanliness, environmental protection and unity. They improve social welfare and quality of life for all, and show respect for others and the nation, which is why people who do them are respected.
4. What are the various ways in which people are compensated for various economic activities? Give some examples.
People are compensated in several ways: Salary - a fixed monthly payment, for example Kavya’s uncle who operates a bulldozer and Kavya’s aunt who works at the post office both get a monthly salary, and an Air Force pilot gets a salary; Wage - payment for a specific period, often daily, such as farm labourer Sahil earning a daily wage; Fee - payment for professional advice or service, such as Kavya’s aunt charging a weekly fee for online classes or a lawyer charging a fee; Profit from sale - a shopkeeper or baker earns profit, for example Rajesh earns