Anti-discrimination
law took hold during an era in which “good jobs” involved “narrow portals of
entry” into secure career ladders. The predominant economic theory of
discrimination at the time suggested that different treatment involved
employment and consumer “tastes” or dislike of other groups. Today’s economy
has dismantled the secure employment and predictable career ladders of
mid-century America. In the process, inequality has grown, and the dominance of
white (and in some cases Asian) men has increased in the upper reaches of the
economy. Indeed, while the gendered wage gap has narrowed overall, the gap has
increased for college graduates since the early nineties. This panel will
consider how to understand the redefinition of “good jobs” in a networked
economy, the new remade terms of competition among employees, and the
implications for gender and racial diversity.
Business meeting at program conclusion.