The Hidden Strains of ‘Cool’ Jobs

A growing number of workers today are drawn to jobs that offer symbolic and cultural rewards but not necessarily stable employment or livable wages. Existing literature posits the exploitative nature of this labor arrangement, where workers must weigh the ‘cool’ aspects of their jobs against other l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSociology (Oxford) Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 351 - 368
Main Authors Delgaty, Aaron, Wilson, Eli R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.04.2024
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Employment
Workers
precarious labor
craft work
work culture
beer
ethnography
job quality
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Summary:A growing number of workers today are drawn to jobs that offer symbolic and cultural rewards but not necessarily stable employment or livable wages. Existing literature posits the exploitative nature of this labor arrangement, where workers must weigh the ‘cool’ aspects of their jobs against other less desirable aspects. Yet what happens when both these dimensions of work are deeply intertwined and subject to changing perspectives? Drawing on ethnographic data and in-depth interviews with US craft beer workers, we show how ‘cool’ aspects of brewery jobs are experienced as significant sources of material, social, and work identity strain that cause some workers to grow estranged from their jobs over time. We suggest a broader framework for understanding the hidden strains of jobs that appeal to workers for symbolic reasons, and advocate for shifting jobs in the new economy away from cool-yet-precarious employment bargains and toward more sustainable forms of employment.
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ISSN:0038-0385
1469-8684
DOI:10.1177/00380385231172129