The Pink-Collar Worker Crisis
Commentary
The first time I heard the phrase “pink collar worker” was two days ago from The Atlantic, which published fascinating data on what it describes as mass burnout among nurses, childcare workers, teachers, and other women-dominated professions. The phrase itself dates from the 1970s—the female version of “blue collar” one supposes—and I’m oddly surprised it is still around given our times.
Regardless, the thesis is consistent with everything I’ve observed in these pages about the crisis in labor markets generally.
Author Annie Lowrey writes:
“In a recent American Psychological Association Work and Well-Being Survey, large proportions of American workers said that they felt stressed on the job (79 percent), plagued by physical fatigue (44 percent), cognitive weariness (36 percent), emotional exhaustion (32 percent), and a lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26 percent). Such measures are up significantly since the pandemic hit.”…