Gender Equity and Rising Inequality: You Can't Get There from Here

Management scholars and social scientists from a variety of disciplines have spent a great deal of time addressing the causes and consequences of gender inequality in the workplace. Much of this research has focused on gaining access to relatively elite positions in the labor market with the accompanying career, remuneration, and perks available in business, the academy, and the professions. In this analysis I suggest that we need to refocus our efforts a bit. My argument, backed by statistical evidence, is that it is extremely difficult to close persistent gender gaps in workplace opportunities when overall inequality is growing and substantial numbers of labor market participants are downwardly mobile. I examine four myths in the popular mind, and among scholars, regarding the drivers of extreme inequality; (1) that most inequality is generated by race and gender, (2) that most inequality is driven by educational inequality, (3) that most inequality is driven by differences in family structure, and (4) that most inequality results from face to face interactions. I provide preliminary evidence that these explanations need some work. That work involves recognizing that most inequality is generated within demographic groups and that this inequality is growing rapidly. It also involves recognizing that there are few ways to incorporate underrepresented groups into the mainstream of a social and economic system where extreme inequality is getting worse and substantial percentages of the population face economic stagnation and downward mobility.

            Finally, I provide several theoretical explanations for why rising and extreme inequality affects the ability to produce equitable results for underrepresented groups in management and the professions;

(a)   Rising inequality within gender, racial and ethnic groups undermines political and organizational support for interventions that incorporate traditionally underrepresented groups;

(b)  Rising inequality among men (in particular) produces behavior that social psychologists refer to as “male overcompensation”, the insertion and exaggerated defense of gender identities in positions where social statuses are uncertain;

(c)   Rising inequality undermines the ability to systematically understand why people are receiving the rewards they are receiving. The inability to provide a systematic explanation for why rewards are received is combined with the inability to provide coherent narratives for “getting ahead.” This not only undermines the legitimacy of reward systems but seriously affects the ability to provide coherent and consistent mentoring to those seeking to break into the system.

(d)  Rising and extreme inequality produces extreme social segregation which undermines the ability of traditionally excluded groups to even gain access to the resources needed to make inroads into traditional occupational and professional enclaves.

The conclusion suggests that there are few, if any, ways to fight for inclusion, representation, and equity between groups when inequalities are rising within them. At minimum it makes the task of increasing inclusion much more difficult.