What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic

What Work Means goes beyond the stereotypes and captures the diverse ways Americans view work as a part of a good life. Dispelling the notion of Americans as obsessive workaholics, Claudia Strauss presents a more nuanced perspective. While some live to work, others prefer a diligent 9-to-5 work ethic that is conscientious but preserves time for other interests. Her participants often enjoyed their jobs without making work the focus of their life. These findings challenge laborist views of waged work as central to a good life as well as post-work theories that treat work solely as exploitative and soul-crushing.

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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 also explores how diverse Americans think about accepting financial support from family, friends, and the state, gendered meanings of breadwinning,  and what the ever-elusive American dream means to them. By considering how unemployment experiences now diverge from joblessness earlier, What Work Means paves the way for a historically and culturally informed discussion of meanings of work in a future of teleworking, greater automation, and increasing nonstandard employment.