What Work Means

Claudia Strauss

What Work Means
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Cornell University Press
Country
United States
Published
15 June 2024
Pages
372
ISBN
9781501775512

What Work Means

Claudia Strauss

In What Work Means, Claudia Strauss observes that Americans are often described as workaholics driven by a Puritan work ethic. Drawing upon the evocative stories of unemployed Americans from a wide range of occupations, from day laborers to corporate managers, both immigrant and native-born, Strauss shows that this Puritan ethic cultural description homogenizes diverse work motivations. Describing Americans as workaholics conflates different forms of the Protestant work ethic. It ignores competing work ethics, such as working to live well instead of living to work. It overlooks the differing ways Americans understand work-life balance, appropriate consumption, self-sufficiency, the division of breadwinning responsibilities in couples, and meanings of work for one's gender identity.

Moreover, the workaholic description misses the fun that many Americans say they find from their jobs. Stretching from the Great Recession to the Covid-19 pandemic, What Work Means inspires discussions about current work and its many meanings in current contexts of teleworking, greater automation, and nonstandard employment.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.