Entering the Creative Class: The Role of High-Status Culture

• In Event: 070 - Regular Session. Cultural Capital

Abstract

Occupations that add economic value through purported creativity—popularized by Richard Florida’s (2002) Rise of the Creative Class—have in recent years increasingly defined desirable employment. Yet we know relatively little about who enters these “creative” occupations, how and why. I address this gap by testing a novel link between class-privileged socialization and attainment of creative employment: whether early exposure to diverse ideas and cultural forms increases the likelihood that an individual will enter a creative occupation. Focusing on the case of the advertising industry, I analyze primary survey data collected from a probability sample of U.S. advertising agencies and semi-structured interviews with advertising professionals. Structural equation modeling reveals a positive indirect effect of socialization on creative employment, mediated by high-status “omnivorous” (inclusive and diverse) taste. Qualitative data illustrate a mechanism underlying this path: by providing a valuable signal of creative potential in the initial hiring transaction, class-privileged socialization increases the chance an individual will enter a creative occupation. This study’s findings highlight a new direction for research on creativity, add to the growing work on cultural fit in elite occupations, and extend knowledge on how employer hiring practices contribute to social inequality.

Author

• Sharon Koppman, University of Arizona