Volunteerism

  Volunteerism is often celebrated as altruistic, yet in unequal contexts it can both exploit unpaid labor and deny vulnerable individuals opportunities for paid work. This article argues that while the right to work is fundamental to dignity, work must also be understood as a responsibility: to sustain oneself, provide for dependents, and fulfill the human condition of becoming. When volunteerism substitutes for employment, it privileges those who can labor without pay while excluding those for whom work is a necessity, thereby reinforcing inequity and obscuring the deeper meaning of work as both right and responsibility. Volunteerism is often portrayed as a moral good, a practice through which individuals freely contribute their time and energy to the betterment of society. Its civic appeal rests on ideals of generosity, solidarity, and shared responsibility. Yet the social and economic structures in which volunteerism is embedded complicate this narrative. In contexts of persistent inequality, volunteerism can become not merely an act of service but a reflection of privilege, and in some cases, a mechanism of exploitation. When organizations rely on volunteers, they often substitute unpaid contributions for positions that might otherwise provide employment. This reliance saves resources for institutions but carries a profound social cost: it normalizes the devaluation of work, particularly in domains such as caregiving, education, and community service, which are already historically undercompensated. The effect is twofold: the extraction of labor without wages from those who can afford to give it freely, and the exclusion of those who cannot afford […]