Nonstandard Working Hours and Economic Use of Free Time in the Upper Class : The Gender Gap

Anne Lambert (1)

1 INED - Institut national d'études démographiques

Working on the side is seen primarily as a survival strategy among the low-paid working classes. In contrast, this chapter focuses on sideline activities among integrated social categories and well-paid employees. To what extent is multiple job holding a structural component of the class identity of the wealthy? And how does the institutional and professional context favor such practices? Based on a study of flight attendants and pilots working for a major airline company, the author shows that working conditions (nonstandard working hours, stable working contract, high level of income) favor the development of parallel activities alongside the main paid work. Yet the propensity to engage in such activities and their profitability vary substantially by sex. It is among male pilots that these activities are most diverse and contribute most strongly to their multiple positioning in the social space.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Anne Lambert. Nonstandard Working Hours and Economic Use of Free Time in the Upper Class : The Gender Gap. The Social Meaning of Extra Money Capitalism and the Commodification of Domestic and Leisure Activities Anne Jourdain, Palgrave Macmillan, pp.183-207, 2020, Dynamics of Virtual Work, ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-18297-7_7⟩. ⟨hal-02289187⟩