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Equal Work, Unequal Careers: African Americans in the Workforce

Rochelle Parks-Yancy
Equal Work, Unequal Careers: African Americans in the Workforce
ISBN: 978-1-935049-23-4
$57.00
2010/153 pages/LC: 2010007949
A FirstForumPress Book
"A much needed contribution.... This informative and richly detailed study helps to clarify the problems facing middle- and working-class black workers."—Steve McDonald, North Carolina State University

DESCRIPTION

Why do some people get ahead in the workplace, while others, equally qualified, fall behind? Rochelle Parks-Yancy uses the experience of African American workers across the US to reveal how the forces of inequality and social capital shape long-term occupational success.

Parks-Yancy's mixed-methods approach probes the ways that people find jobs, lose jobs, and get promoted, illuminating the subtle nexus of race, social networks, and societal barriers that can make or break a career trajectory. Demonstrating how disadvantages can accumulate over time, she goes beyond affirmative action to outline how individual workers can seize the initiative in remedying labor market inequalities.      

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rochelle Parks-Yancy is associate professor of management in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University.

CONTENTS

  • Careers and Social Capital.
  • Social Class, Education, and Finding Work.
  • Surviving Layoffs.
  • Race, Gender, and Accumulating Career (Dis)Advantages.
  • Social Program Interventions.
  • Conclusion: Strategies for Improving Access.