Learning not to labour: A micro analysis of consensual male unemployment

Purpose: 

The Drifters are ten long-term unemployed British men. The Drifters' unemployment is consensual: the men believe they have chosen to "not work" and rely upon welfare benefits for their socio-economic survival. The purpose of this paper is to present micro sociological analysis of the Drifters' existences which focuses upon first, exploring why the Drifters' consensual unemployment has resulted in them experiencing high levels of stigma in their everyday lives; second, analysing the Drifters' (micro) relationships with (macro) unemployment policies. 

Design/methodology/approach: 

Primary, qualitative data were elicited from the Drifters during two phases of fieldwork. In both phases of fieldwork, the author conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews and participant observation-based research with the Drifters to generate data on how the men subjectively experience and account for the intersection of consensual non-work, welfare reliance and stigma in their lives. 

Findings: 

In the pseudonymous locale where the Drifters reside (Dramen) displaying a willingness to work is - despite high rates of local unemployment - a social expectation and marker of "respectable" masculinity. By living lives of consensual non-work and welfare reliance, the Drifters violate a localised cultural code and are accordingly stigmatised. Rather than attempting to manage their stigma, the Drifters ritually indulge in secondary deviant behaviours. This amplifies the Drifters' statuses as reviled agents. The Drifters lack employment options. The Drifters have been able to successfully exploit unemployment benefits. Accordingly, the Drifters' non-work is somewhat inevitable, rather than lamentable, as many citizens in Dramen believe; and as wider current right-leaning political and media rhetoric relating to unemployment implies. 

Originality/value: 

Examinations into the lives of non-consensually unemployed males exist. However, the lives of males who are unemployed apparently consensually - i.e. out of choice - remain under-researched. This paper functions as a micro empirical corrective, which diversifies the way male unemployment in capitalist societies can be viewed; and which offers a fresh look at how proposed unemployment welfare reform may impact the Drifters and the group in British society which the Drifters represent more broadly.