Nancy Worth
Bio
Nancy is a feminist economic geographer who is interested in work, social reproduction, inequalities, age and generations, and feminist theory. Theoretically, her interests lie in relationality and temporality, focusing on futurity, intergenerationality and precarity. Nancy is also concerned with research practice, including ethics, participation and innovative qualitative methods.
Location
In-person
Hagey Hall room 334
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Remote
Zoom link coming soon
Digging into work: what we do, what it means to us, and how it’s changing
Abstract
As work in the new economy becomes increasingly flexible, what are the consequences for workers? What does flexibility mean? Drawing on twenty two repeat interviews with freelancers in Toronto’s media industry before and during the pandemic, this talk examines the dynamics of un/paid labour, the rise of remote work, and the normalization of professional precarity. By centering the experiences of independent workers, my aim is to shed light on systemic challenges facing the contemporary workforce as a whole—for all of us as workers.
My research highlights the erosion of traditional employment protections, the blurring of work-life boundaries facilitated by the shift to work from home, and the often-invisible costs of unpaid labour. Key findings reveal how freelancers navigate complex negotiations of value and recognition, as well as their economic coping strategies—patterns likely to become more common for other kinds of workers in the future. I conclude with some attention to the connection between work and identity, and the changing relationship between what you do and who you are.