The friendship wealth gap and the price of volunteering
About this episode
The episode explores the impact of financial disparities on friendships and the sustainability of unpaid volunteer work.
Not all friendships are for life, and there are plenty of reasons people drift apart. Sometimes distance makes it harder to catch up, or life just pulls you in different directions. But what happens when it's money driving a wedge between mates? Writer Cate Gilpin, comedian Matt Okine and psychologist Rachel Samson explore the friendship wealth gap and how to make peace with it. The majority of people who stand between you and all manner of natural disasters are highly trained and totally unpaid. It's one thing to sign up as a volunteer to make friends and learn new skills, but many volunteers put their own lives on the line to save others. So how sustainable is a critical system that relies so heavily on unpaid labour, and should they be paid for the work they do?
People in this episode
Guests: Cate Gilpin, Matt Okine, Rachel Samson
Topics covered
- friendship
- wealth gap
- volunteering
- social issues
- relationships
Keywords
- friendship wealth gap
- volunteering
- unpaid labor
- social relationships
- psychology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ABC Australia
More episodes of Life Matters - Full program podcast
- Fixing our social media feeds and planning a new city in space
- How to talk about gambling and spotting a romance scam
- How coral became big business and a new system for job seekers
- The weirdest Australian festivals and the future of sustainable fashion
- Why you're feeling stuck and how discounts influence buyer behaviour
- The real winners of the Enhanced Games and what to do if you find a fossil
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Life Matters - Full program podcast podcast page.