The link between the occupational status and the degree of self-esteem has been elucidated by, above all, social sciences research on unemployment and well-being. The main argument has been that the lower degree of self-esteem the unemployed suffer from is a result of the missing latent functions of work, such as a time structure, regular activities and social contacts. However, the experience of unemployment is not limited to the absence of gainful employment. Emanated in particular from the public discussion regarding unemployed people being lazy and unwilling to work the negative connotations have gained importance in most of the European countries. Hence, unemployment marks a social status that is closely connected to the experience of stigmatization.
Using survey data with a large sample of unemployed and employed young people from seven European countries, this paper aims to study to what extent the experience of social stigmatization may explain the interrelation between unemployment and self-esteem. Initially, we will analyse the impact of occupational status on the experience of stigmatization, i.e. the belief in societal prejudice towards the unemployed as well as social and institutional discrimination. In a second step, we will test to what extent the experience of stigmatization may explain the lower degree of self-esteem the unemployed suffer from.