Emile Durkheim, a prominent French sociologist, presented his theory of ‘The Division of Labor in Society’ in his doctoral thesis in 1893. It was the first major published work of Durkheim which offers a detailed description of the division of labor in different societies.

Durkheim highlighted the following dimensions of the division of labor:

1. Importance of division of labor for society.
2. Types of division of labor in traditional and modern societies, e.g., mechanical and organic solidarity.

Durkheim believed that the division of labor has always been an important characteristic of social life since the inception of human society because it serves the following functions for society.

1. It channelizes the workforce into proper lines to achieve common goals.
2. It ensures the economic growth of a society.
3. It produces a sense of solidarity among the individuals of a society. Solidarity means the sense of attachment among the members of society. It creates cohesive forces to organize people in the form of society. Without such a cohesive force, a society is likely to disintegrate.
4. It brings social and moral order in society. Durkheim argued that like a religion that serves as an agent of social control, the division of labor also results in stability and order in a society.

Emile Durkheim described the division of labor based on social solidarity in traditional and modern society. Social solidarity refers to cohesion and integration among the members of society. Durkheim believed that the division of labor is deeply associated with the types of social solidarity in a society.

Comte explained the division of labor in terms of the following two types of social solidarity.

1. Mechanical Solidarity
2. Organic Solidarity

Mechanical solidarity is the characteristic of a society which is highly homogenous in terms of norms, values, and other social aspects of its members. Mechanical solidarity is based on similarities among the members of society. It existed in primitive and traditional societies whose members resembled one another in almost all social aspects such as, norms, values, profession, religion, language and so on.

In societies having mechanical solidarity, the division of labor existed in its simplest form. As those societies had fewer social institutions, there were fewer roles involved in the division of labor. The division of labor was mostly based on sex and age. Various tasks were assigned to individuals depending on their sex and age. Women and men were assigned different tasks to do. For instance, the men worked as farmers while the women cared about domestic chores. Similarly, age was another criterion for assigning tasks to individuals. Adults were assigned tasks that required good physical strength. The youngest and the oldest individual were assigned tasks which required comparatively less physical strength.

Another characteristic of the division of labor in such a society is less or no inter-dependence of the individuals in terms of their tasks. The nature of the division of labor was simple as there were a few simple tasks. Due to the simplicity of the tasks, an individual could perform a specific assigned task independently without depending on others for that specific task.

The mode of interactions among the individuals performing different tasks was relatively less-materialistic. The primary purpose of the division of labor was not to make money but to serve the needs of one another.

In societies with mechanical solidarity, the division of labor served a useful function of social control. The division of labor brought the people together to develop a mutual understanding and mutual respect. Hence, they would refrain from engaging in anti-social behavior. Similarly, the division of labor would regulate their behavior by channelizing their efforts into productive outcomes for the society.

Organic solidarity is the characteristic of a society which is highly heterogeneous in terms of norms, values, and other social aspects of its members. Organic solidarity is based on dissimilarities among the members of society. It exists in the modern and advanced societies whose members differ from one another in most of their social aspects such as, norms, values, dresses, cuisine, profession, religion, language and so on.

In societies having organic solidarity, there is a complex form of division of labor. As these societies have a lot of social institutions, there is a relatively higher number of roles in the division of labor due variety of professions. The division of labor is purely based on the competence and specialty of a person. This means that tasks are assigned to individuals depending on their competence and specialty at different tasks. For instance, doctors, engineers, teachers, businessmen and pilots have the proficiencies required for their jobs. Unlike primitive and traditional societies, the age and sex of individuals may not restrict them from adopting a specific profession in modern society if they have the required competence to do it.

Another characteristic of the division of labor in such a society is the high interdependence of the individuals in terms of their tasks. The division of labor, due to the variety of roles involved in the same task, is quite complex in nature. Different parts of the network of labor are interconnected and interdependent. For instance, a hospital has doctors, nurses, x-ray machine operators, laboratory technicians and many other staff members who are dependent on one another for providing healthcare to patients. Similarly, different institutions work in an interdependent way. For instance, a factory may depend on other external sources for their raw materials.

The mode of interactions among the parts of the network of labor is purely materialistic because their primary goal is to generate revenue.

In societies with organic solidarity, the division of labor may play some role in social control, but the major function of social control is played by formal agencies of social control.

1.  Mechanical Solidarity

1. Mechanical solidarity is characteristic of a society which is highly homogenous (similar) in terms of the norms, values and other social aspects of its member.
2. It is based on similarities among the member of the society.
3. It existed in primitive and traditional societies.
4. Division of labour in societies with mechanical solidarity was based on age and sex.
5. Since there were fewer institutions and fewer roles in societies with mechanical solidarity, the division of labor was simple.
6. There was less or no interdependence among the individuals performing different roles.
7. The interaction among individuals (performing different tasks) was not primarily materialistic (to make money) but to serve the needs of one another.
8. Mechanical solidarity in primitive and traditional societies played a good role in social control.

2.  Organic Solidarity

1. Organic solidarity is a characteristic of a society that is highly heterogenous (dissimilar) in terms of norms, values and social aspects of its members.
2. It is based on dissimilarities among the members of society.
3. It exists in modern society.
4. The division of labor in society with organic solidarity is based on the competence and expertise of a person.
5. Since there are many institutions and roles in such a society, the form of division of labor is quite complex.
6. There is high inter-dependence among the individuals and institutions performing different roles.
7. The interaction among different individuals and institutions (performing different roles) are purely materialistic, e.g., to generate revenue.
8. In societies with organic solidarity, the division of labor may serve some role in social control, but the major function of social control is played by formal agencies of social control.