‘I’ve got to do this. I have no choice’: The contradictory role of social reproduction in explaining the impact of precarious dependent self-employment

Within a qualitative research strategy this article applies the ‘grey zone’ framework, which conceptualises dimensions of unpaid labour tolerated by workers competing for precarious work. The authors present an empirical investigation that foregrounds reproductive labour in the household economy of workers in precarious dependent self-employment. Using abductive analysis and drawing on data from diverse sectors identified with particular age, gender and occupational class positioning they investigate how individuals balance precarious work with family life. And while all participants could navigate the temporal, spatial and financial challenges associated with their work, the study’s findings illustrate that relative freedoms accrued to those in higher skill, higher status jobs. In contrast, for those in lower skill, lower status jobs multiple negative challenges were balanced out by limited (but subjectively important) positive outcomes that meant they could continue with the work. Accordingly, the analysis advances understanding of workers’ strategies for managing the combined challenges of work insecurity and unpaid work in the household.