Claiming Race: Career Inequalities of White, Racial Minority, and Multiracial Lawyers

• In Event: 465 - Regular Session. Multiracial Classification

Abstract

In response to the growth in the number of multiracial Americans in recent decades, the manner in which race is measured in surveys has changed and researchers have begun to focus on the complexities faced by multiracial individuals when navigating everyday life, including racial fluidity and misclassification. Research in this area, however, has yet to examine how administrative reporting of race factors into educational and employment outcomes. This study addresses this gap by examining the importance of multiracial reporting practices in public and private forums as they relate to career outcomes among young lawyers. We argue that this venue provides a fruitful ground for racial claims-making, where claiming minority status can be the source of both advantages and disadvantages as a career progresses and that claims-making presents a unique set of opportunities and challenges for multiracial lawyers. Through the examination of several career outcomes found within the After the JD survey, we found substantial white advantage in entry into large law firms, workplace experiences, and promotions to partner. In contrast, black, Latino, and Asian lawyers continue to have worse career outcomes. Multiracial lawyers added to this complexity, as we found evidence of a color line between nonwhite and white multiracial lawyers. Nonwhite multiracial lawyers appear to have similar career outcomes to racial minorities. Multiracial whites, in contrast, appear to be treated similar to white lawyers.

Authors

• Anthony Paik, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

• Kenneth Jan-Michael Sanchagrin, Appalachian State University