Left Behind: Yachts, Dinghies, and Perceptions of Social Inequality in COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Little is known about how portrayals of American unity (i.e. “we’re all in this together”) have been received by essential workers on the front lines of the COVID risk divide, and how the pandemic may have contributed to perceptions of class inequality among lower-income workers. In this paper, we draw upon 192 in-depth interviews with precarious and gig-based workers in New York City. We find that during the height of the first wave of the pandemic, precarious workers often expressed frustration over class-based inequalities and antagonism toward elites. Many respondents expressed significant skepticism toward messages that the pandemic has brought Americans together. Instead, workers identified two distinct, class-based realities in New York: elite Americans are able to socially-distance in “mansions,” or on “yachts,” while precarious workers struggled to weather the storm in “dinghies.” Likewise, workers felt “abandoned” by wealthy owners and managers, who fled the city to socially-distanced homes in beach communities and surrounding suburbs. Our findings suggest that low-wage, high-risk workers articulate complex conceptualizations of inequality and convey grievances toward elites during the pandemic. This study contributes to broader literature on perceived inequality, the rise of noxious work, and the social consequences of COVID-19.

KEYWORDS:

• Noxious contract
• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• class conflict
• social inequality
• risk

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Erica Janko, Ken Cai Kowalski, and Savannah Newton for their work in interviewing, coding, and their comments on early drafts. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2029924, and a New Faculty Collaboration Grant from the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Disclosure Statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. (2029924); UNC Chapel Hill Institute for the Arts and Humanities [New Faculty Collaboration Grant].

Notes on contributors

Alexandrea J. Ravenelle

Alexandrea J. Ravenelle is an assistant professor in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her first book, Hustle and Gig: Struggling and Surviving in the Sharing Economy (University of California Press, 2019), provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges experienced by gig workers. Ravenelle's research has also been published in The New York Times; Work and Occupations; Regions, Economy and Society; New Media & Society; and Sociological Perspectives.

Jacob Conley

Jacob Conley is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Abigail Newell

Abigail Newell is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She studies the relationship between politics and gender inequality with a particular focus on the politics of reproduction and sexuality.