The Illusion of the Pursuit of Happiness
by Susan Ismail
July 6, 2015
For many, the pursuit of happiness is a luxury they can’t afford to think about. Today’s retail and food industry workers have been unfairly burdened with trying to manage their personal responsibilities and make enough money to sustain themselves in an industry that is self-serving. More than not, workers are asked to be available for many different shifts, and their hours may vary drastically from week to week. Often they are required to be on-call, making daycare scheduling nearly impossible. With skyrocketing rents, utilities bills, daycare costs, and rising cost of food, many workers deal with an extraordinary amount of stress and fear of homelessness. The job market over the years has drastically changed for the worse, increasingly putting pressure on the employee to give more and do more for less. It is time we ask ourselves, when did we as a nation forget the very people who are a large part of the fabric of society? When did we become a number? When did “we the people” no longer matter?
This summer I have the opportunity to work as a WE Summer Leader on some of the issues I am so passionate about. This week we spoke with service workers in the food and retail industries to hear first-hand the hardships they face trying to juggle an unstable schedulewith not enough hours a week to meet their financial responsibilities. Many are unable to pursue a higher education due to their schedules, which in turn makes them feel stuck in a situation they can see no end to.
As a single mom of four and a returning adult student, I myself have faced many of these same challenges. It’s exhilarating to know that these working conditions are not going unnoticed and that maybe I can play a small part in advocating on behalf of other women. I want other women to feel hope in a brighter future, one in which we do matter, our families matter, and that happiness is attainable.
