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Rethinking job satisfaction in care work: looking beyond the care debates

Author

Listed:
  • Gail Hebson

    (Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK)

  • Jill Rubery

    (Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK)

  • Damian Grimshaw

    (Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK)

Abstract

Studies of care workers frequently reveal relatively high levels of job satisfaction despite poor employment conditions. The rewarding nature of care work, altruistic motivations and gendered social norms have all been used to explain why subjective job satisfaction is high despite poor pay and terms and conditions. Using data collected in case-study research with domiciliary and residential care workers, this article offers a new direction for care worker research that contextualizes the taken-for-granted assumption that care workers tolerate poor pay and conditions because women find the work satisfying and intrinsically rewarding. The article draws on cultural analyses of class to offer an alternative framework that identifies the wider social processes that can shape care workers’ job satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Gail Hebson & Jill Rubery & Damian Grimshaw, 2015. "Rethinking job satisfaction in care work: looking beyond the care debates," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 29(2), pages 314-330, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:29:y:2015:i:2:p:314-330
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Warr & Ilke Inceoglu, 2018. "Work Orientations, Well-Being and Job Content of Self-Employed and Employed Professionals," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 32(2), pages 292-311, April.
    2. Stefania Marino & Arjan Keizer, 2023. "Labour market regulation and the demand for migrant labour: A comparison of the adult social care sector in England and the Netherlands," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(2), pages 159-176, June.
    3. Veerle Buffel & Sarah Missinne & Piet Bracke, 2017. "The social norm of unemployment in relation to mental health and medical care use: the role of regional unemployment levels and of displaced workers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(3), pages 501-521, June.
    4. Armanda Cetrulo & Dario Guarascio & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2024. "Two neglected origins of inequality: hierarchical power and care work," LEM Papers Series 2024/04, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    5. Richard Godfrey & Joanna Brewis, 2018. "‘Nowhere else sells bliss like this’: Exploring the emotional labour of soldiers at war," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(6), pages 653-669, November.
    6. Sarah Jenkins & Wil Chivers, 2022. "Can cooperatives/employee‐owned businesses improve ‘bad’ jobs? Evaluating job quality in three low‐paid sectors," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(3), pages 511-535, September.
    7. Rachel Lara Cohen & Carol Wolkowitz, 2018. "The Feminization of Body Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 42-62, January.

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