Moral Wages : The Emotional Dilemmas of Victim Advocacy and Counseling

__Moral Wages__ offers the reader a vivid depiction of what it is like to work inside an agency that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Based on over a year of fieldwork by a man in a setting many presume to be hostile to men, this ethnographic account is unlike most research on the topic of violence against women. Instead of focusing on the victims or perpetrators of abuse, __Moral Wages__ focuses exclusively on the service providers in the middle. It shows how victim advocates and counselors—who don't enjoy extrinsic benefits like pay, power, and prestige—are sustained by a different kind of compensation. As long as they can overcome a number of workplace dilemmas, they earn a special type of emotional reward reserved for those who help others in need: moral wages. As their struggles mount, though, it becomes clear that their jobs often put them in impossible situations—requiring them to aid and feel for vulnerable clients, yet giving them few and feeble tools to combat a persistent social problem. Moral Wages offers the reader a vivid depiction of what it is like to work inside an agency that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Based on over a year of fieldwork by a man in a setting many presume to be hostile to men, this enthnographic account is unlike most research on the topic of violence against women. Instead of focusing on the victims or perpetrators of abuse, Moral Wages focuses exclusively on the service providers in the middle. It shows how victim advocates and counselors - who don't enjoy extrinsic benefits like high pay, power, and prestige - are sustained by a different kind of compensation. As long as they can overcome a number of workplace dilemmas, they ear a special type of emotional reward reserved for those who help others in need: moral wages. As their struggles mount, though, it becomes clear that their jobs often put them in impossible situations - requiring them to aid and feel for vulnerable clients, yet giving them few and feeble tools to combat a persistent social problem. -- from back cover Moral Wages offers the reader a vivid depiction of what it is like to work inside an agency that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Based on over a year of fieldwork by a man in a setting many presume to be hostile to men, this ethnographic account is unlike most research on the topic of violence against women. Instead of focusing on the victims or perpetrators of abuse, Moral Wages focuses exclusively on the service providers in the middle. It shows how victim advocates and counselors—who don't enjoy extrinsic benefits like pay, power, and prestige—are sustained by a different kind of compensation. As long as they can overcome a number of workplace dilemmas, they earn a special type of emotional reward reserved for those who help others in need: moral wages. As their struggles mount, though, it becomes clear that their jobs often put them in impossible situations—requiring them to aid and feel for vulnerable clients, yet giving them few and feeble tools to combat a persistent social problem. Offers the reader a vivid depiction of what it is like to work inside an agency that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. This book shows how victim advocates and counselors - who don't enjoy extrinsic benefits like pay, power, and prestige - are sustained by a different kind of compensation. Cover Moral Wages Title Copyright CONTENTS Acknowledgments 1. Emotional Dilemmas 2. Moral Wages 3. Empowerment in Practice 4. Difficult Clients 5. The Allure of Legal Work 6. Men at Work 7. Managing Dilemmas and Retooling Appendix: Fieldwork Methods Notes References Index