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Contextualizing dirty work: The neglected role of cultural, historical, and demographic context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2014

Blake E Ashforth  and
Glen E Kreiner
Blake E Ashforth*
Affiliation:
Department of Management, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Glen E Kreiner
Affiliation:
Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University, 443 Business Building, University Park, PA, USA
*
Corresponding author: blake.ashforth@asu.edu
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Abstract

Although perceptions of physically, socially, and morally stigmatized occupations – ‘dirty work’ – are socially constructed, very little attention has been paid to how the context shapes those constructions. We explore the impact of historical trends (when), macro and micro cultures (where), and demographic characteristics (who) on the social construction of dirty work. Historically, the rise of hygiene, along with economic and technological development, resulted in greater societal distancing from dirty work, while the rise of liberalism has resulted in greater social acceptance of some morally stigmatized occupations. Culturally, masculinity tends to be preferred over femininity as an ideological discourse for dirty work, unless the occupation is female-dominated; members of collectivist cultures are generally better able than members of individualist cultures to combat the collective-level threat that stigma inherently represents; and members of high power-distance cultures tend to view dirty work more negatively than members of low power-distance cultures. Demographically, marginalized work tends to devolve to marginalized socioeconomic, gender, and racioethnic categories, creating a pernicious and entrapping recursive loop between ‘dirty work’ and being labeled as ‘dirty people.’

Keywords

dirty worksocial constructionhistorycultural valuesdemographics
Type
Invited Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , July 2014 , pp. 423 - 440
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2014 

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