The mythologisation of key workers: occupational prestige gained, sustained... and lost?

Abstract

PurposeKey workers are deemed “essential” for keeping the country going while the rest of us have been resigned to the safety of our homes. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, key workers have become the exalted symbol of the pandemic; although, during pre-pandemic many of these roles were considered “low skilled” and were (and still are) low paid.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis uses newspapers as data sources to discuss occupational prestige and situate it within previous theory.FindingsThis social commentary discusses how occupational prestige evolves and devolves during times of social change, and how elevated status, dependent on one's service to the country in the spirit of a “war-time” narrative, is just temporary and fleeting. Prestige is wrapped up in notions of class, income and education, and during the pandemic, “key workers” have become their own sub-group with an almost mythologised status and value, which the authors argue might take the focus away from genuine efforts to improve working conditions (e.g. access to PPE and pay rises etcetera).Originality/valueThe article considers the current value of key workers and how elevated levels of prestige are transitory. The enduring nature of this new status is yet to be seen. More qualitative nuanced research is required around how occupational prestige changes, evolves and devolves and more quantitative research on why and how widespread some of the critical issues might be.

Motherhood and guilt in a pandemic: Negotiating the “new” normal with a feminist identity

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‘There’s always got to be a villain’: the police as ‘dirty’ key workers and the effects on occupational prestige

“…We theorise that the tumultuous context of the COVID-19 pandemic has (temporarily) changed public perceptions of what is and is not valued work to uphold order in society, and thereby, altered notions of 'dirt' and occupational prestige. Some occupations have experienced a heightened esteem (De Camargo and Whiley 2020;Mejia et al 2021), but others have dropped further in the tiers of 'dirt'.…”

Essential for society but not equally deserving of preferential treatment? A discrete-choice experiment regarding COVID-19 healthcare

“…Third, some occupations in essential sectors are associated with low or average occupational prestige ( de Camargo and Whiley, 2020 ). Due to high risks of exposure, reciprocities based on high job relevance and occupational prestige are not theoretically and empirically mutually exclusive; rather, they overlap with each other.…”