Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work
The labor market is the site of longstanding and persistent inequalities across race and gender groups in hiring, compensation, and advancement. In this paper, we draw on data from 13,574 hourly service-sector workers to extend the study of intersectional labor market inequalities to workers' e...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Society for Sociological Science
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Sociological Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://sociologicalscience.com/articles-v11-10-233/ |
| _version_ | 1797253632138149888 |
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| author | Kristen Harknett Charlotte O'Herron Evelyn Bellew |
| author_facet | Kristen Harknett Charlotte O'Herron Evelyn Bellew |
| author_sort | Kristen Harknett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The labor market is the site of longstanding and persistent inequalities across race and gender groups in hiring, compensation, and advancement. In this paper, we draw on data from 13,574 hourly service-sector workers to extend the study of intersectional labor market inequalities to workers' experience on the job. In the service sector, where workers are regularly expected to be on their feet for long hours and contend with intense and unrelenting workloads, regular break time is an essential component of job quality and general well-being. Yet, we find that Black women are less likely than their counterparts to get a break during their work shift. Although union membership and laws mandating work breaks are effective in increasing access to breaks for workers overall, they do not ameliorate the inequality Black women face in access to work breaks within the service sector. A sobering implication is that worker power and labor protections can raise the floor on working conditions but leave inequalities intact. Our findings also have implications for racial health inequalities, as the routine daily stress of the service sector takes a disproportionate toll on the health of Black women. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T21:37:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38953ea52d924e5ca69d41c85d2f89a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2330-6696 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T21:37:09Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Society for Sociological Science |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sociological Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-38953ea52d924e5ca69d41c85d2f89a82024-03-21T18:27:16ZengSociety for Sociological ScienceSociological Science2330-66962024-03-01111023325710.15195/v11.a10Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at WorkKristen Harknett0Charlotte O'Herron1Evelyn Bellew2University of California San FranciscoHarvard UniversityHarvard Kennedy SchoolThe labor market is the site of longstanding and persistent inequalities across race and gender groups in hiring, compensation, and advancement. In this paper, we draw on data from 13,574 hourly service-sector workers to extend the study of intersectional labor market inequalities to workers' experience on the job. In the service sector, where workers are regularly expected to be on their feet for long hours and contend with intense and unrelenting workloads, regular break time is an essential component of job quality and general well-being. Yet, we find that Black women are less likely than their counterparts to get a break during their work shift. Although union membership and laws mandating work breaks are effective in increasing access to breaks for workers overall, they do not ameliorate the inequality Black women face in access to work breaks within the service sector. A sobering implication is that worker power and labor protections can raise the floor on working conditions but leave inequalities intact. Our findings also have implications for racial health inequalities, as the routine daily stress of the service sector takes a disproportionate toll on the health of Black women.https://sociologicalscience.com/articles-v11-10-233/worklaborintersectionalityrace breaksshift work |
| spellingShingle | Kristen Harknett Charlotte O'Herron Evelyn Bellew Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work Sociological Science work labor intersectionality race breaks shift work |
| title | Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work |
| title_full | Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work |
| title_fullStr | Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work |
| title_short | Can't Catch a Break: Intersectional Inequalities at Work |
| title_sort | can t catch a break intersectional inequalities at work |
| topic | work labor intersectionality race breaks shift work |
| url | https://sociologicalscience.com/articles-v11-10-233/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kristenharknett cantcatchabreakintersectionalinequalitiesatwork AT charlotteoherron cantcatchabreakintersectionalinequalitiesatwork AT evelynbellew cantcatchabreakintersectionalinequalitiesatwork |