Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America

Dirty Work

By Eyal Press. Offers a paradigm-shifting view of the moral landscape of contemporary America through the stories of people who perform society’s most ethically troubling jobs. Shows that we are increasingly shielded and distanced from an array of morally questionable activities that other, less privileged people perform in our name. Examines psychological and emotional hardships such as stigma, shame, PTSD, and moral injury that disproportionately fall on low-income workers, undocumented immigrants, women, and people of color. Tells the stories of the people doing society’s dirty work, and examines the structures of power and complicity that shape their lives, revealing fundamental truths about the moral dimensions of work and the hidden costs of inequality in America. Read more.