Abstract
AbstractThe political relevance of labor market insecurity has been questioned because (a) insider-outsider divides were considered to be a divide within the low-skilled and politically less active working class and (b) labor market insecurity runs through the middle of the household. Outsiders might therefore align their preferences with those of insiders. This contribution provides, first, evidence that labor market insecurity extends well into the higher-skilled middle class, in particular to high-skilled young adults and high-skilled women. Second, the contribution sheds light on the “household question”, that is the question whether mixed households dampen the political relevance of labor market insecurity. If labor market insecurity is concentrated in specific social groups (young adults, women) that tend to cohabit with secure insiders, the political relevance of labor market insecurity might depend on whether or not outsiders align their preferences with those of the household. In this contribution, I discuss recent work on the relevance of the household in translating labor market divides into preferences divides presenting recent work that shows that the household does not render insider-outsider divides politically irrelevant. In sum, insider-outsider divides have all the potential to become politically relevant.
Highlights
The political relevance of labor market insecurity has been questioned because (a) insideroutsider divides were considered to be a divide within the low-skilled and politically less active working class (Berger and Piore 1980; Rueda and King 2008) and (b) labor market insecurity runs through the middle of the household (Pierson 2001; Emmenegger 2010)
The spread of labor market insecurity into the middle class and in particular its gendered nature bear relevance for the “household question”, that is the question whether mixed households dampen the political relevance of labor market insecurity
If labor market insecurity is concentrated in specific social groups that tend to cohabit with secure insiders, the political relevance of labor market insecurity might depend on whether or not Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core
Summary
The political relevance of labor market insecurity has been questioned because (a) insideroutsider divides were considered to be a divide within the low-skilled and politically less active working class (Berger and Piore 1980; Rueda and King 2008) and (b) labor market insecurity runs through the middle of the household (Pierson 2001; Emmenegger 2010). I provide evidence that labor market insecurity extends well into the higher-skilled middle class, in particular to high-skilled young adults and high-skilled women. Responsible for this spread of labor market insecurity is a dual transformation of post-industrial labor markets. If labor market insecurity is concentrated in specific social groups (young adults, women) that tend to cohabit with secure insiders, the political relevance of labor market insecurity might depend on whether or not. 370 Hanna Schwander outsiders align their preferences with those of the household. In this contribution, I will discuss recent work on the relevance of the household in translating labor market divides into preferences divides
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