The Tolls of Uncertainty: How Privilege and the Guilt Gap Shape Unemployment in America

The Tolls of Uncertainty is an essential investigation into the American unemployment system and how gender and class affect the lives of those looking for work. It reveals that commonly held views of unemployment are incomplete or wrong and that unemployment generates new inequalities that cast uncertainties on the search for work and on life chances beyond the world of work.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 20 June 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The Tolls of Uncertainty is a groundbreaking investigation into the American unemployment system and the profound ways in which gender and class shape the lives of those seeking work. Through the intimate narratives of individuals who have faced job loss across Pennsylvania, author Sarah Damaske offers a startling and eye-opening perspective on the nation's unemployment landscape.

Damaske's research reveals that prevailing notions about unemployment are often incomplete or simply inaccurate. Unemployment, she argues, creates new inequalities that cast uncertainties on the job search and impact life chances beyond the workplace, jeopardizing opportunities in America.

The book follows the lives of four individuals over the course of their unemployment experiences, providing valuable insights into how the unemployed perceive their relationship to work. Damaske highlights the high levels of self-blame that women who have lost jobs often feel, leading them to prioritize their family's needs over their own, compromise their health, and take on additional responsibilities within the home. This "guilt gap" serves as a poignant illustration of how unemployment can exacerbate existing disparities between men and women.

Furthermore, The Tolls of Uncertainty explores the impact of class privilege on unemployment outcomes. While some individuals benefit from their social status, others are left vulnerable to the underfunded and inadequate unemployment system. Middle-class men, for instance, generally have the time and resources to search for quality work, but many others face challenges due to poverty-level unemployment benefits, family pressures, and the added burden of falling behind.

In conclusion, The Tolls of Uncertainty is a timely and engaging exploration of the complex dynamics of unemployment and its far-reaching consequences. Through the powerful stories of those who have experienced job loss, the book sheds light on the urgent need for a new path forward. It calls for a comprehensive and equitable approach to addressing unemployment, one that recognizes the intersectional nature of gender and class and aims to create a more just and inclusive society.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691247717