Inequality Regimes and Professional Identity Development in Knowledge-Intensive Workplaces in China (Poster 38)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 1:45 p.m.
  In Poster Session: Workplace Learning Poster Session

Abstract

Workplace learning extends beyond knowledge and skill acquisition; it involves identity negotiation and (re)construction, shaping how individuals interpret their experiences. This study examines inequality regimes in knowledge-intensive workplaces in China and how tech-savvy young professionals from the post-90s generation navigate their professional identity development. Based on interviews and artifacts collected from 25 early-career tech workers, the study identifies key findings: (1) Identity categories such as age, gender, and education level contribute to the occupational hierarchical system; (2) Employment practices driven by market dynamics exacerbate these inequalities, creating reward disparities and intensifying competition and further penalizing more disadvantaged groups; (3) Participants’ narratives real three themes about their professional identity development: self-actualization, struggle between job commitment and culture of insecurity, alienation.

Author

• Hui Huang, University of California - Los Angeles