Life Support

The Problems of Working for a Living

Bibliographic Data

ID5114428
AuthorsChristine L Williams (0000-0003-3740-6138, The University of Texas at Austin, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume86
Issue2
Pages191-200
Publication date2021-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-1224 • E-ISSN: 1939-8271
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0003122421997063
OpenAlexW3138429700
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited27

For most Americans, paid work is their primary means of support. A small percentage of Americans are wealthy enough that they do not need a job, but most people rely on their paychecks for survival. The coronavirus pandemic starkly reveals the limitations of this dependence. In this address, I draw attention to three "problems of working for a living": lack of access to jobs, poor job quality, and inequality in the workplace. I will argue that addressing these problems is urgently needed to ensure the well-being of all workers. Going even further, I encourage consideration of alternative forms of life support, including expanding the private and the public safety nets, arguing that our existence should not depend exclusively on working for a living

Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Inequality · Job satisfaction · Pandemic · Political science · Public relations · Quality (philosophy · Quality of life (healthcare · Quality of working life · Sociology · Work (physics · Working life · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · Medicine · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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