The Amish Recession

Fifty years ago most Amish men wore beards, owned their own farm, and drove a horse and buggy. The beards and buggies are still around, but farm work is far less common for 21st-century Amish. Less than 10 percent of Amish households make their living entirely off the land today.

Instead, many work in factories and on construction sites - and like other Americans, they’re facing massive lay offs. Until recently, Amish elders frowned upon collecting unemployment, which, like insurance and computers, is considered a modern luxury. But the Amish church is loosening up and allowing laid-off workers to file for unemployment for the first time.

As part of NHPR's Working it Out series, we invited Thomas Meyers, professor of sociology at Goshen College, to help us better understand how the Amish are adapting to the shifting economy.

Chicago Tribune: Amish Hit Hard by the Recession

(Photo by Michelle Black via Flickr/Creative Commons)