On Good Deeds and the Reproduction of Social Inequality: An Empirical Study on Social Class and Volunteering in Germany.
This study re-examines volunteering through Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework, arguing that in Germany and other western countries, volunteering functions as a means of accumulating symbolic capital (i.e. social recognition and status). Individuals from higher social classes are increasingly i...
| Published in: | Sociology Vol. 59; no. 5; pp. 943 - 962 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Sage Publications Inc.
Oct2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=188444138&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 188444138 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00380385 SGY jtl: Sociology issn: 00380385 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Oct2025 vid: 59 iid: 5 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. artinfo: ui: 188444138 10.1177/00380385251343282 ppf: 943 ppct: 19 formats: tig: atl: On Good Deeds and the Reproduction of Social Inequality: An Empirical Study on Social Class and Volunteering in Germany. aug: au: Kleiner, Tuuli-Marja affil: Thünen Institute of Rural Studies, Germany su: Germany Social classes Equality Volunteer service Symbolic capital sug: subj: Social classes Equality Volunteer service Symbolic capital Germany keyword: occupational classes panel analysis social inequality symbolic capital volunteering occupational classes panel analysis social inequality symbolic capital volunteering ab: This study re-examines volunteering through Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework, arguing that in Germany and other western countries, volunteering functions as a means of accumulating symbolic capital (i.e. social recognition and status). Individuals from higher social classes are increasingly investing in this field, thereby restricting access for those from lower classes. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (1992–2017) and the German Survey on Volunteering (2014), I examine class-based differences in overall volunteering and specific activities linked to varying levels of symbolic capital. Panel analyses indicate that higher social classes have intensified their engagement in volunteering over the past decades, widening the gap with lower social classes. Furthermore, individuals from higher social classes prefer prestigious volunteering activities that facilitate symbolic capital accumulation. This trend has contributed to a long-term increase in class disparities in volunteering, reinforcing social inequalities and limiting opportunities for lower-class participation. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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