Stąpając po niepewnym gruncie. Prekaryjność i bezrobocie w pamiętnikach bezrobotnych Polek i Polaków

Starting from the notion of precarity, we describe how authors of memoirs of the unemployed try to limit the consequences of unemployment and what difficulties they encounter. We refer to four main areas of protection:work, state institution, community and family. The conclusions point to a strong link between them. The key role is played by the family, while the state institution and the community play less significant role. The labour market and offices are particularly negatively evaluated. In the article we look in detail at the efforts of the unemployed in the area of searching for and performing jobs, which sometimes even deepen their precarity. We are also analysing internships and cash benefits for children, the so-called 500+. While internships do not fulfill their function and rather serve to prolong the situation of uncertainty, the 500+ benefit, managed mostly by women, has a rather positive effect. key words: gender; unemployment; precarity; memoirs of the unemployed; 500+