5 ms·
>It's not the core job, it's the fact that there's zero growth or mobility even possible that is the issue. Not everyone is a 'striver.' Some folks just want
by wavefunction 9y ago
>It's not the core job, it's the fact that there's zero growth or mobility even possible that is the issue.
Not everyone is a 'striver.' Some folks just want to pay their bills and enjoy what time they can with their family and friends.
- jaggederest 9y agoEven those 'non-striver' people would prefer to have growth over time, in their position, wage, and skills. Humans are not static - we like to learn and we get very frustrated when we can't improve over time.
- barrkel 9y agoDo you think everybody finds growth and meaning in their job? Many people find it in their family, in sport, in clubs, and work is just a wage.
- philjohn 9y agoAnd yet, the Janitor in this piece can't afford to take a holiday, so is it a stretch to assume she doesn't have much free time either?!?
- bb88 9y agoYes, if she's hourly, because they probably won't pay overtime.
- jiggunjer 9y agoMaybe the fact that she's a single mom with 4 kids is a factor too. I think a janitor with a single dependent would have a more acceptable standard of living.
- jaggederest 9y agoAre you making a modest proposal that people should go from four kids to one, post facto? I think everyone deserves to be able to have vacation time, especially single parents.
- jiggunjer 9y agoI'm not proposing anything. Just suggesting that there are more factors than income that affect 'inequality'. An article that focusses on inequality due to low income should perhaps pick an example with a more typical family situation.
- URSpider94 9y agoRewind 50 years, and it would be highly typical for a janitor to support a wife and 3 kids on HIS salary - families were larger, and mothers didn't work. The fact that a working single mom can't support her four kids today is indicative in and of itself.
- Chris2048 9y agoWould that janitor have many vacations too? And decent college funds? Healthcare?
- jaggederest 9y agoYes, yes, and yes. Janitorial staff at a Ford plant in ~1965 would make enough to own their own house, vacation once a year (probably not by plane but...), and college was percentage-wise ridiculously cheaper - 30x if my calculations are correct, which they probably aren't, but hey. Healthcare would have unquestionably been provided by their employer. And all that on only a single income for a family of four, no less.
- URSpider94 9y ago... and with a defined-benefit pension as well, meaning no need for 401k contributions out of their salary, and no risk of losing that money due to poor investment decisions.
- jaggederest 9y agoI don't think everybody finds all of their growth and meaning in their job, but I do think that everyone would like to have at least some growth and meaning in their job. Even if all you're doing is getting better at the job itself, people value mastery and expertise.
- manicdee 9y agoWhy does the growth and change have to come from the job?
- oarla 9y agoAs a society, if we figure out an economic system which doesn't lead to inflation, then all would benefit by not having to grow their net worth, and in turn, have a job that doesn't have any growth prospects.
- solomatov 9y agoHow are growth prospect and inflation related? You can keep your net worth by investing into assets which have growth above the inflation level which isn't that hard.
- oarla 9y agoBy growth, I meant increase in wages to at least keep up with inflation. Janitorial jobs haven't kept up with inflation. Nowadays, rent increases by about 10% YoY. But wages don't increase by that much.