The proverbial old boys clubs in elite professions may no longer have rules keeping women and minorities out, but an analysis of their hiring practices suggests their upper-class, male and white makeup will stubbornly remain.
According to a new U.S.-based study, bankers, lawyers and management consultants would rather hire someone who is like them than someone who is best qualified for the job — perpetuating the social and cultural makeup of these professions and reinforcing the glass ceiling that has been battled for decades.
“Of course, employers are looking for people who have the baseline of skills to effectively do the job,” said study author Lauren A. Rivera, an assistant professor of management and organizations and sociology at Northwestern University. “But, beyond that, employers really want people who they will bond with, who they will feel good around, who will be their friend and maybe even their romantic partner. As a result, employers don’t necessarily hire the most-skilled candidates.”
Because evaluators in these fields are predominantly white, Ivy League-educated, upper-middle or upper class men, Rivera says they tend to favour candidates who have similar interests and pursuits.
Appearing in the American Sociological Review Thursday, the study titled “Hiring as Cultural Matching: The Case of Elite Professional Service Firms,” claims to be the first systematic, empirical investigation of whether shared culture between employers and job candidates affects hiring…
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via Old (white) boys club alive and well in law, finance: U.S. study – thestar.com.
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