Everyday Sociology Blog

A Strong Economy?

By Todd Schoepflin How long does it take you to get to work? Would you drive an hour to get on a bus for a four-hour round trip to make $13.26 an hour? This is what people are willing to do to travel from the Mississippi Delta to Memphis,

Socially Made and Essential

By Todd Schoepflin Backing out of my driveway to head to the grocery store, I’m careful to avoid hitting the garbage tote at the end of the driveway. It’s garbage day. Workers from our town sanitation department are like mail carriers—they

2020: The Ultimate Example of Emotional Labor

By Todd Schoepflin At 7:50 each weekday morning, my wife heads out the door, off to work at the elementary school where she is a social worker. This year is unlike any of the first ten years she’s worked at the school. There are no childre