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Can Dirty Work be Satisfying? A Mixed Method Study of Workers Doing Dirty Jobs

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen Deery

    (King’s College London, UK)

  • Deanna Kolar

    (Purdue University, USA)

  • Janet Walsh

    (King’s College London, UK)

Abstract

It has been argued in this journal that sociologists can make an important contribution to the understanding of why workers report feeling satisfied with their work, particularly where job quality is poor. Utilising a mixed method approach, this article explores how employees derive satisfaction from dirty work. The term ‘dirty work’ refers to tasks and occupations that are perceived as disgusting, distasteful or degrading. The research was conducted among workers specialising in the cleaning of abandoned social or public housing apartments in high crime areas in the UK and the USA. The study identifies a number of different mechanisms through which workers are able to make work both more satisfying and establish a sense of self-worth from the tasks they perform, even though dirt and physical taint are central to the job.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Deery & Deanna Kolar & Janet Walsh, 2019. "Can Dirty Work be Satisfying? A Mixed Method Study of Workers Doing Dirty Jobs," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 33(4), pages 631-647, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:33:y:2019:i:4:p:631-647
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017018817307
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Arne L. Kalleberg & Stephen Vaisey, 2005. "Pathways to a Good Job: Perceived Work Quality among the Machinists in North America," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 431-454, September.
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    5. Natasha Slutskaya & Ruth Simpson & Jason Hughes & Alexander Simpson & Selçuk Uygur, 2016. "Masculinity and Class in the Context of Dirty Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 165-182, March.
    6. Michael Rose, 2005. "Job Satisfaction in Britain: Coping with Complexity," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 455-467, September.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Galazka & Joe O’Mahoney, 2023. "The Socio-Materiality of Dirty Work: A Critical Realist Perspective," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(2), pages 432-448, April.
    2. Teun Eikenaar, 2024. "Experiencing Deportation as Dirty Work? The Case of Dutch Escort Officers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1403-1422, October.
    3. Andrew Soren & Carol D. Ryff, 2023. "Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Zhang Guanglei & Wang Huaying & Li Mingze & Longzhu Dong, 2026. "Does technological tools make dirty-work engagement easier? When occupational stigma leads to increased emotional exhaustion and avoidant behaviors at work," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 359(1), pages 189-206, April.
    5. Knut Laaser & Jan Ch Karlsson, 2022. "Towards a Sociology of Meaningful Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(5), pages 798-815, October.
    6. Alan Valenzuela-Bustos & Ana Gálvez-Mozo & Verna Alcalde-Gonzalez, 2023. "Invisible Room Attendants: Outsourcing as a Dispositive of (In)visibility and the Resistance of Las Kellys in Spain," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(6), pages 1646-1663, December.
    7. Sarah Jenkins & Wil Chivers, 2022. "Can cooperatives/employee‐owned businesses improve ‘bad’ jobs? Evaluating job quality in three low‐paid sectors," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(3), pages 511-535, September.
    8. Sarah Jenkins, 2026. "The Struggle for Meaning in Contemporary Care Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 40(1), pages 67-87, February.
    9. Mariya Lenko & Jan-Erik Refle & Claudine Burton-Jeangros & Julien Fakhoury & Liala Consoli & Yves Jackson, 2025. "Migrant Work Conditions and Health Status—A Longitudinal Study on ‘Dirty Work’ Among Undocumented and Newly Regularized Workers," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 213-233, March.
    10. Matthew Bamber & John McCormack & Brent J Lyons, 2023. "Conceptualising ‘Within-Group Stigmatisation’ among High-Status Workers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(3), pages 757-775, June.

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