Working at Getting to Work: Negotiating Transportation and Low-Wage Work in Rural Michigan

Abstract

This article examines the efforts that low-income mothers go through to get to work in two rural Michigan county contexts. The author relies on qualitative, in-depth interview data with one group of Latina mothers, who worked in agricultural labor often migrating with their families, and another group of white settled mothers in a county dominated by service jobs. Their accounts reveal the backstage labor needed to get to low-wage jobs in rural areas. Commuting, moving, and/or migrating necessitate much effort and planning. Without public transportation, mothers often "scramble" with unreliable, and often unsafe, vehicles. They also rely on friends and family members, negotiate with employers, coordinate their journey to work with the schedules of family members, and take risks to get to work. Programs and policies that provide assistance with reliable transportation, child care, and work and family balance should reduce the work of getting to work.

Keywords

• commuting
• work
• low-income
• rural travel