Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter
Social science research has long recognized the relevance of socioeconomic background for mobility and inequality. In this article we interrogate how and why working-class and first-generation backgrounds are especially meaningful and take as our case in point the professoriate and the discipline of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Socius |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231181859 |
| _version_ | 1797787096357797888 |
|---|---|
| author | Vincent J. Roscigno Elizabeth M. Lee Allison L. Hurst David Brady Colby R. King Anthony Abraham Jack Kevin J. Delaney Monica McDermott José Muñoz Wendi Johnson Robert D. Francis Debbie Warnock Margaret Weigers Vitullo |
| author_facet | Vincent J. Roscigno Elizabeth M. Lee Allison L. Hurst David Brady Colby R. King Anthony Abraham Jack Kevin J. Delaney Monica McDermott José Muñoz Wendi Johnson Robert D. Francis Debbie Warnock Margaret Weigers Vitullo |
| author_sort | Vincent J. Roscigno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social science research has long recognized the relevance of socioeconomic background for mobility and inequality. In this article we interrogate how and why working-class and first-generation backgrounds are especially meaningful and take as our case in point the professoriate and the discipline of sociology, – i.e., a field that intellectually prioritizes attention to group inequality and that arguably offers a conservative empirical test compared to other academic fields. Our analyses, which draw on unique survey items and open-ended qualitative materials from nearly 1,000 academic sociologists, reveal significant background divergences in academic job attainment, tied partly to educational background. Moreover, and especially unique and important, findings demonstrate significant consequences across several dimensions of inequality including compensation and economic precarity, professional visibility, and isolation at departmental, college or university, and professional levels. We conclude by highlighting how our discussion and results contribute in important ways to broader sociological concerns surrounding mobility, group disadvantage, and social closure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:18:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-154370d62b8a476993a00ffa77a3c7e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2378-0231 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:18:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Socius |
| spelling | doaj.art-154370d62b8a476993a00ffa77a3c7e32023-07-05T08:03:28ZengSAGE PublishingSocius2378-02312023-07-01910.1177/23780231231181859Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds MatterVincent J. Roscigno0Elizabeth M. Lee1Allison L. Hurst2David Brady3Colby R. King4Anthony Abraham Jack5Kevin J. Delaney6Monica McDermott7José Muñoz8Wendi Johnson9Robert D. Francis10Debbie Warnock11Margaret Weigers Vitullo12The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USASt. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA, USAOregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USAUniversity of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA and WZB Berlin Social Science CenterUniversity of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, SC, USAHarvard University, Cambridge, MA, USATemple University, Philadelphia, PA, USAArizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USACalifornia State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USAOakland University, Rochester, MI, USAWhitworth University, Spokane, WA, USAIndependent scholar, Eagle Bridge, NY, USALinguistic Society of America, Washington, DC, USASocial science research has long recognized the relevance of socioeconomic background for mobility and inequality. In this article we interrogate how and why working-class and first-generation backgrounds are especially meaningful and take as our case in point the professoriate and the discipline of sociology, – i.e., a field that intellectually prioritizes attention to group inequality and that arguably offers a conservative empirical test compared to other academic fields. Our analyses, which draw on unique survey items and open-ended qualitative materials from nearly 1,000 academic sociologists, reveal significant background divergences in academic job attainment, tied partly to educational background. Moreover, and especially unique and important, findings demonstrate significant consequences across several dimensions of inequality including compensation and economic precarity, professional visibility, and isolation at departmental, college or university, and professional levels. We conclude by highlighting how our discussion and results contribute in important ways to broader sociological concerns surrounding mobility, group disadvantage, and social closure.https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231181859 |
| spellingShingle | Vincent J. Roscigno Elizabeth M. Lee Allison L. Hurst David Brady Colby R. King Anthony Abraham Jack Kevin J. Delaney Monica McDermott José Muñoz Wendi Johnson Robert D. Francis Debbie Warnock Margaret Weigers Vitullo Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter Socius |
| title | Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter |
| title_full | Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter |
| title_fullStr | Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter |
| title_short | Mobility and Inequality in the Professoriate: How and Why First-Generation and Working-Class Backgrounds Matter |
| title_sort | mobility and inequality in the professoriate how and why first generation and working class backgrounds matter |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231181859 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vincentjroscigno mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT elizabethmlee mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT allisonlhurst mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT davidbrady mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT colbyrking mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT anthonyabrahamjack mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT kevinjdelaney mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT monicamcdermott mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT josemunoz mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT wendijohnson mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT robertdfrancis mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT debbiewarnock mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter AT margaretweigersvitullo mobilityandinequalityintheprofessoriatehowandwhyfirstgenerationandworkingclassbackgroundsmatter |