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Research Details
Social class disparities in higher education and in the workplace: The role of cultural mismatch., Current Directions in Psychological Science
Abstract
Differences in structural resources and individual skills contribute to social-class disparities in both U.S. gateway institutions of higher education and professional workplaces. People from working-class contexts also experience cultural barriers that maintain these disparities. In this article, we focus on one critical cultural barrier—the cultural mismatch between (a) the independent cultural norms prevalent in middle-class contexts and U.S. institutions and (b) the interdependent norms common in working-class contexts. In particular, we explain how cultural mismatch can fuel social-class disparities in higher education and professional workplaces. First, we explain how different social-class contexts tend to reflect and foster different cultural models of self. Second, we outline how higher education and professional workplaces often prioritize independence as the cultural ideal. Finally, we describe two key sites of cultural mismatch—norms for understanding the self and interacting with others—and explain their consequences for working-class people’s access to and performance in gateway institutions.
Type
Article
Author(s)
Nicole Stephens, Sarah Townsend, Andrea Dittmann
Date Published
2018
Citations
Stephens, Nicole, Sarah Townsend, and Andrea Dittmann. 2018. Social class disparities in higher education and in the workplace: The role of cultural mismatch.. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 28(1): 67-73.