The Tolls of Uncertainty - by Sarah Damaske

About the Book

"Although media outlets dubbed the Great Recession of 2007-2009 a 'man-cession' because men's job losses were double women's at first, women experienced greater job loss after the so-called 'conclusion' of the recession and recovered jobs at a slower rate than men. Women also appeared to face greater economic consequences of job loss: they were more likely than men to experience hunger and deprivation. These trends bring us to the first puzzle at the heart of this book: do women and men experience job loss and its effects differently? Using in-depth interviews from 100 people from rural and urban counties in Pennsylvania, Sarah Damaske investigates how men and women of different classes lose jobs, experience the economic and social ramifications of their unemployment in their own lives and their family life, and begin to search for work again"--

Book Synopsis

An indispensable investigation into the American unemployment system and the ways gender and class affect the lives of those looking for work

Through the intimate stories of those seeking work, The Tolls of Uncertainty offers a startling look at the nation's unemployment system--who it helps, who it hurts, and what, if anything, we can do to make it fair. Drawing on interviews with one hundred men and women who have lost jobs across Pennsylvania, Sarah Damaske examines the ways unemployment shapes families, finances, health, and the job hunt. Damaske demonstrates that commonly held views of unemployment are either incomplete or just plain wrong. Shaped by a person's gender and class, unemployment generates new inequalities that cast uncertainties on the search for work and on life chances beyond the world of work, threatening opportunity in America.

Following in depth the lives of four individuals over the course of their unemployment experiences, Damaske offers insights into how the unemployed perceive their relationship to work. She reveals the high levels of blame that women who have lost jobs place on themselves, leading them to put their families' needs above their own, sacrifice their health, and take on more tasks inside the home. This "guilt gap" illustrates how unemployment all too often exacerbates existing differences between men and women. Class privilege, too, gives some an advantage, while leaving others at the mercy of an underfunded unemployment system. Middle-class men are generally able to create the time and space to search for good work, but many others are bogged down by the challenges of poverty-level unemployment benefits and family pressures and fall further behind.

Timely and engaging, The Tolls of Uncertainty posits that a new path must be taken if the nation's unemployed are to find real relief.

Review Quotes

"Winner of the William J. Goode Book Award, Family Section of the American Sociological Association"

"

[The Tolls of Uncertainty] offers enduring lessons about unemployment and the family.

"---Naomi R. Cahn, Jotwell

"[A] fascinating new book. . . . The Tolls of Uncertainty reveals that middle-class white men are vastly overrepresented among the beneficiaries who fully recover from unemployment, while other groups tread water or end up worse off."---Christine L. Williams, Gender & Society

"Damaske makes a compelling case that unemployment, like the pathways leading up to and following it, touches people in vastly different ways. . . . She argues we can do better. Let's hope we can and do. The Tolls of Uncertainty points to narratives and policies that could undermine rather than reinforce existing inequalities."---Naomi Gerstel, Contemporary Sociology

"Damaske powerfully demonstrates how gender and class intersect and produce widely divergent experiences among the unemployed. In a vivid and insightful analysis of recently unemployed working- and middle-class women and men, Damaske reveals novel mechanisms through which unemployment both exacerbates existing inequalities and creates new inequalities. The study offers unparalleled insight into the trajectories of the unemployed and makes poignant contributions to our understanding of economic inequality and gender. . . . An extremely captivating, compelling, and careful analysis of various gendered and classed mechanisms reproducing and creating inequalities among the unemployed."---Pilar Gonalons-Pons, Social Forces

"Honorable Mention for the Scholarly Achievement Award, North Central Sociological Association"

"There's a way to change the system and the way is to read [The Tolls of Uncertainty]. People need to understand that the unemployment experience is not these odd, ugly stereotypes."---Mark Price, Evidence-to-Impact podcast

About the Author

Sarah Damaske is professor of sociology and labor and employment relations at Pennsylvania State University. Her books include For the Family and The Science and Art of Interviewing, and her work has been featured in such venues as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. She lives in State College, Pennsylvania. Twitter @sarahdamaske