There’s a pretty strong social expectation of “getting a job”. When full time “working for the man” employment is what friends and family expect, it easily bec

There’s a pretty strong social expectation of “getting a job”. When full time “working for the man” employment is what friends and family expect, it easily becomes the default. Mortgage lenders (and probably other financial institutions) are generally happier dealing with employees, too. I’m not actually convinced it’s entirely about immediate risk: employees get laid off frequently enough that I don’t think the short-to-mid-term risk difference really justifies the preference. Rather, it’s that working a normal-looking day job is a conformity signal.