Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5033524 | Current Opinion in Psychology | 2017 | 23 Pages |
Abstract
Attaining a college degree has traditionally been assumed to be key to upward social and professional mobility. However, college graduates from working-class backgrounds achieve less career success in professional, white-collar workplaces compared to those from middle-class backgrounds. Using a cultural models approach, we examine how the independent cultural beliefs and practices promoted by professional organizations disadvantage people from working-class backgrounds, who espouse interdependent beliefs and practices. Our review illustrates how this disadvantage can manifest in two ways. First, despite relative equality in objective qualifications, it can occur at organizational gateways (e.g., interview and hiring decisions). Second, even after people from working-class backgrounds gain access to an organization, it can occur along organizational pathways (e.g., performance evaluations and assignment to high-profile tasks).
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Psychology
Applied Psychology
Authors
Sarah SM Townsend, Mindy Truong,