Resumo

AGUILAR, Paula Lucía. Life and Work in Times of Distress: A Qualitative Exploration (2022-2023). Convergencia [online]. 2026, vol.33, e26057.  Epub 16-Fev-2026. ISSN 2448-5799.  https://doi.org/10.29101/crcs.v33i0.26057.

This article examines expressions of social distress in contemporary Argentina and their relationship with political transformations, particularly the rise of radical right-wing leadership. Through a qualitative study based on three focus groups conducted between 2022 and 2023, it analyzes the experiences of workers in precarious conditions: low-skilled wage earners, independent professionals, and digital platform workers. The findings reveal a structural tension between the abstract valuation of work as a source of dignity and self-worth, and the concrete conditions of labor precarity, which intensified after the pandemic. Participants express distress regarding income insufficiency, inaccessibility to homeownership, absence of care infrastructure, and perceived arbitrariness in social policies. These dissatisfactions are articulated in individualized terms, disconnected from collective transformation horizons. The study demonstrates how eroding social protections and inability to project stable futures generate affective configurations that contribute to the delegitimization of democratic mechanisms for resolving social problems. The conclusions highlight the urgency of reformulating labor and social protection policies, while recognizing current difficulties in constructing collective alternatives amid growing social fragmentation and political disaffection.

Palavras-chave : Argentina; everyday life; work; social protection; subjective distress; labor precarity.

        · resumo em Espanhol     · texto em Espanhol     · Espanhol ( pdf )