Initial Disadvantage, Unchangeable Past? The Effects of Educational Affiliation on Hiring Decisions

• In Event: 40860 - Section on Economic Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4. Structural inequalities

Abstract

Educational affiliation plays a crucial role in shaping labor market outcomes, yet its impact on hiring decisions remains underexplored. This study examines how the status of a candidate’s educational institution—particularly at the bachelor’s level—affects hiring evaluations and how this effect is moderated by (a) a high-status master’s degree, (b) employer preferences for adaptability and resilience, and (c) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Using an experimental design, we present hiring managers with hypothetical résumés and analyze their assessments of candidates in terms of competence, extra value, likeability, and hireability.

Our findings reveal that candidates with high-status bachelor’s degrees receive significantly higher ratings in competence, extra value, and hireability than those with low-status degrees. However, these disadvantages can be mitigated under certain conditions. A high-status master’s degree fully offsets the initial disadvantage of a low-status bachelor’s degree, suggesting that educational mobility can compensate for early career disadvantages. When employers emphasize adaptability and resilience, educational affiliation disparities become insignificant, indicating that non-traditional qualifications can help level the playing field. Although DEI commitments reduce the effects of educational stratification, they do not eliminate them, suggesting that structural inequalities persist despite diversity initiatives.

Authors

• Matthew Henglong Luo, University of Oxford

• Xiaoxiao Niu, Shenzhen University

• Lei Liu, University of Exeter