A startling discovery—that job market success after college is
largely random—forces a reappraisal of education, opportunity,
and the American dream. As a gateway to economic opportunity, a
college degree is viewed by many as America’s great equalizer.
And it’s true: wealthier, more connected, and seemingly
better-qualified students earn exactly the same pay as their less
privileged peers. Yet, the reasons why may have little to do with
bootstraps or self-improvement—it might just be dumb luck.
That’s what sociologist Jessi Streib proposes in The Accidental
Equalizer, a conclusion she reaches after interviewing dozens of
hiring agents and job-seeking graduates. Streib finds that luck
shapes the hiring process from start to finish in a way that limits
class privilege in the job market. Employers hide information about
how to get ahead and force students to guess which jobs pay the
most and how best to obtain them. Without clear routes to success,
graduates from all class backgrounds face the same odds at high
pay. The Accidental Equalizer is a frank appraisal of how this
“luckocracy” works and its implications for the future of
higher education and the middle class. Although this system is far
from eliminating American inequality, Streib shows that it may just
be the best opportunity structure we have—for better and for
worse.
General
Imprint: |
University of Chicago Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2023 |
Authors: |
Jessi Streib
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
256 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-226-82931-9 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-226-82931-6 |
Barcode: |
9780226829319 |
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