Is Professional Knowledge Gendered? Clients' Role in the Gender Pay Gap Problem

• In Event: 315 - Regular Session. Producing Gender at Work

Abstract

The theoretical puzzle of this dissertation project is that professional women earn lower salary returns on their educational investments than men. Sociologists and economists have evaluated the behaviors of employers, colleagues, and workers, but there is limited theorization of clients' role in this labor problem. Thus, my research questions are as follows: Does the gender of a professional affect clients' assessments of the professional's experience and skills? More broadly, could clients' gender biases contribute to the gender pay gap between equally qualified professional men and women? I use status construction theory to explore whether clients possess gender status beliefs that favor male professionals, act on gender status beliefs when selecting professional service providers, and/or diffuse status beliefs to other potential clients. In this paper, I present preliminary interview data from a larger mixed methods project. I conducted interviews with clients of three professional groups: lawyers, veterinarians, and social workers in private practice. The clients insisted that they possess progressive views on gender equality in the workplace. But when they described past social interactions with professionals, clients noted and valued men's technical competence, but not that of women. By using status construction theory as a guiding theoretical framework, I was able to uncover why there is such extensive gender discrimination in an era when increasing numbers of citizens are adopting progressive gender politics: Hegemonic gender norms are a powerful social force that can alienate people from their personal ideals when they enter into social interactions.

Author

• Adilia E.E. James, University of Chicago