Informal Volunteering, Inequality, and Illegitimacy

Abstract

This article argues that informal volunteering (the unstructured giving of one’s time to help friends, neighbors, or community) has been ignored or understudied within research and policy. With data frequently showing higher rates of informal volunteering among women, people of color, working-class communities, and other often discriminated against groups and qualitative research demonstrating the value of informal volunteering within poorer communities, such positioning serves to reproduce dominant narratives around volunteering, reinforcing social inequalities. Using Bourdieusian critical theory from largely U.K.-based working-class feminist scholars, this article contributes to the nonprofit literature by showing how such a formulation adds to the legitimacy of middle-class cultures and delegitimizes working-class ones, especially at the current neoliberal conjuncture where volunteering experiences are encouraged to be used as a tool of distinction and employability. However, the article cautions against conceptualizing informal volunteering within existing formal volunteering frameworks, as doing so may further hollow out community life.

Exploring the Effects of Volunteering on the Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-being of Volunteers: An Umbrella Review

“…If so, the use of volunteering must be maximised to help reduce health inequalities. It is key to note that those of lower SES are more likely to engage in informal volunteering, which is often overlooked by the volunteering literature (Dean, 2022 ). Thus, it is important that future research further explore the influence of the formality of volunteering on the health benefits, as the current umbrella review found inconsistent results.…”

The experience of living alone as an older woman in the UK during the Covid pandemic: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

“…From the individual experiences, convergences and divergences have been identified and three superordinate themes emerged from the data: Productivity, Ownership, and Interconnectedness . These themes have been discussed within the context of the data and existing literature, suggesting areas for future research relating not only to demographic characteristics but also to volunteering and unpaid care work, as the relationship between ‘work’ in this context and health and wellbeing appears a complex one, especially considering debates around the politics of care and the political economy of ageing [ 75 , 76 ].…”

Associations between volunteering and cognitive impairment: The moderating role of race/ethnicity

“…Moreover, informal volunteering plays a more significant role in the lives of traditionally disadvantaged and socially discriminated against groups (e.g. people of colour) than those in hegemonic social groups (Dean, 2021 ). Therefore, as an activity that is easier to access without bureaucracy associated or transportation arrangement needed, informal volunteering (e.g.…”

“…Moreover, informal volunteering plays a more significant role in the lives of traditionally disadvantaged and socially discriminated against groups (e.g. people of colour) than those in hegemonic social groups (Dean, 2021).…”