So, what do you do for a living? : A Qualitative Study of Stigma and Recognition in the Everyday Life of the Long-term Unemployed

Sammanfattning

This study explores how individuals experience and negotiate long-term unemployment, particularly in social interactions and institutional navigation. This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The data collection consisted of semi- structured interviews with ten long-term unemployed participants. The data material was analyzed using an abductive thematic analysis, involving an iterative process between the participants’ stories and a theoretical framework centered on stigma and recognition. The results suggest that long-term unemployment is experienced as a loss of dignity, which necessitates identity work. Participants further negotiate this through defensive strategies, such as concealing their unemployment status or steering the conversation away to avoid stigmatization. Regarding institutional encounters, there are two types. One type suggests an empathetic legal recognition that confirms rights, while another involves institutional disrespect. Finally, the results indicate that participants search for meaning through acts of solidarity and contributions to civil society where they aimed to reclaim their value beyond wage labor.