![]() ![]() In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, occupations previously stigmatized, or categorized as “dirty work”, have been deemed essential, followed by a marked shift in societal discourse on the value of these occupations. In particular, certain low-wage hourly jobs within the services industries have been the target of such stigma, including those in retail grocery (Baldissarri et al., 2014), food service ( Shigihara, 2018 Wildes, 2005), hotel housekeeping ( Nimri et al., 2020), consumer retail ( Duemmler and Caprani, 2017), and taxi/transportation services ( Phung et al., 2020 Ravenelle, 2019). Certain occupations carry stigma ( Kreiner et al., 2006), with far-reaching implications for individual identity, employee safety and well-being, and the broader societal narrative on the function of such occupations ( Bickmeier et al., 2015). Despite the potential for work to provide positive meaning and identity, scholars note that a work-based identity can be pleasant or painful (Green, 1993). The role of work in our lives is undeniable, as work provides the means to meet basic needs, a sense of belonging to a group outside of one’s family, opportunities to grow and develop, and a source of identity ( Hulin, 2002). “Work is part of everyone’s daily life and is crucial to a person’s dignity, well-being and development as a human being.” - International Labour Organization, Introduction to the International Labour Standards, 2019 ![]() Practical implications include the urgency for keeping the “hero” story alive so that all service workers benefit from the movement. Theoretical implications include the utilization of stigma theory for Out-Groups, and revealed a previously undetected Out-Group coping tactic. Critical discourse analysis was employed as a qualitative methodology, particularly examining the In- and Out-Group’s coping mechanisms for coming to terms with the value of “dirty” service work heroes. This study utilized occupational stigma theory to identify the mechanisms under which both essential service workers and society at large came to unify around the importance of perceived dirty work in the United States. Service work has been long envisioned as “dirty work”, and further, stigmatized by members of society (the Out-Group), until recently. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on essential service workers has given rise to their newfound “hero” status, resulting in a dramatic shift of their occupational value.
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