Abstract
Links are increasingly being made in volunteer literature between paid labour and voluntary labour, yet conceptually the two forms of labour are often seen as being in opposition to each other. This is particularly evident in fears that volunteers will replace paid workers. This paper argues that the two forms of labour can actually be complementary and in some cases act in a kind of symbiotic relationship throughout the lives of individual volunteers. The possibilities of such a relationship are explored in this paper, through data gathered in research conducted for a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) thesis. This research involved five semi-structured interviews with female volunteers of the New South Wales Institute for Educational Research, a not-for-profit research organisation run by a voluntary executive committee. The relationship between their voluntary labour in this organisation and their paid labour in the university sector is explored here.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Australian journal on volunteering |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- volunteers
- employees
- labor
- symbiotic
- women