How does long term unemployment affect a person’s character? No doubt there are libraries full of books describing depression, anxiety and loss of self confidence as the consequences of being jobless.
In the case of long term unemployed British Pakistani men in their fifties, I have observed two ways in which character has been shaped by being jobless. First is turn to religion- not in any ominous sense of radicalisation. These are mature men with families, for whom stability is everything. Rather, praying five times a day, in the mosque, provides a sense of discipline, when, in a situation of long term joblessness, it is quite easy to lose all sense of time. What difference does time make if you do not have to worry about when to get up and when to go to bed?
Going to the mosque means you meet other people, which leads to the second way unemployment has affected British Pakistani men- the love of gossiping. You can see men standing on street corners talking about anything from the invasion of Iraq to their children’s marriage problems.
Those who don’t go the mosque and meet other people become introverted and suffer some of the problems generally associated with joblessness. Work is good for us because it provides, among other things, a less emotionally charged place than the family. The problems of joblessness can be lessened if another outlet can be found to meet this need.
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