Racialized social class work: Making sense of inequality in South Africa during the COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 lockdowns are happening in almost all societies across the globe, but in South Africa the lockdown is occurring in one of the most unequal societies in the world and in the socio-historic racial context of post-apartheid. Using this extreme context, we ask what the effects of the lockdown are on how people do class work, that is, make sense of and enact their privilege and inequality. Through interviews with diverse participants and using thematic analysis, we explored two main research questions: (1) Is the lockdown a social class shock event prompting class work? and (2) Does the class work prompted by the lockdown intersect with race such that class work takes different forms based on the race of the actor? We highlight the ways in which findings from our South African context may generalize to Africa and beyond, and end with practical suggestions for organizations, to continue the perspective-taking begun by pandemic lockdowns.

KEYWORDS:

• diversity
• race
• social class
• privilege

Acknowledgement

We thank Professor Stella Nkomo for her valuable insights into our research and her mentoring spirit. This article is dedicated to the South Africans who have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 lockdowns. While making a living for you was hard prior to the lockdown, for many of you it’s now become a fight for survival, as day labor jobs have dried up. Thank you for your willingness to share your stories with us. Sawubona – “we see you.”

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term middle class originated in Western, developed countries and does not apply well to South African society. Due to our economic polarization, South Africa lacks a “homogenous, cohesive middle group” (Burger & McAravey, 2014, p. 2). Reliance on consumer credit facilitates a middle class lifestyle for many in danger of slipping into poverty (Hurtwitz & Luiz, 2007).

2 The colored population in South Africa consists of people of mixed descent. They are descended from indigenous KhoiKhoi and San people as well as mixed European (white) and African (black) or Asian ancestry. (Booysen & Nkomo, 2010). In our analysis, we grouped colored respondents with black respondents, in line with South Africa’s Employment Equity Act of 1998 which recognizes both were discriminated against under apartheid. Specifically, the act defines “black people” as “a generic term meaning Black Africans, Coloureds, and Indians” (Employment Equity Act No. 55 of, 1998).

3 The “chronic poor” refers to people who live below the national poverty line and are unlikely to get out of poverty, while the “transient poor” are those living below the national poverty line but with above-average chances of moving out of poverty. The “vulnerable middle class” are those whose basic needs are currently met but who have above-average risks of falling into poverty, while the “stable middle class” can maintain a non-poor standard of living even if faced with a negative shock. Finally, the “elite” have a standard of living far above the average. See Schotte et al. (2018) for a poverty dynamics approach to social stratification.

4 The detailed list of themes, subthemes, and corresponding participant quotations is available by request from the corresponding author.

5 Despite the end of apartheid and legal race-based housing segregation, evidence exists that racial segregation is being replaced today by social class segregation (Geyer & Mohammed, 2016).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jenny M. Hoobler

Jenny M. Hoobler is Professor of Human Resource Management and Doctoral Programs Manager at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She received her PhD in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Kentucky (USA). Her research explores gender and diversity in organizations, work and family intersections, and abusive supervision.

Kim E. Dowdeswell

Kim E. Dowdeswell is a doctoral candidate pursuing a PhD in Industrial Psychology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She received her Master of Commerce in Human Resource Management from the University of Pretoria. Her research interests include leadership, authenticity, and promoting psychologically safe organizations.

Lerato Mahlatji

Lerato Mahlatji is a doctoral student in Human Resource Management at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She received her Master of Arts in Industrial Psychology from the University of Witwatersrand (RSA). Her research interests are social class and diversity in organizations.