IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/woemps/v31y2017i6p992-1009.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ethnicity and low wage traps: favouritism, homosocial reproduction and economic marginalization

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Hudson

    (University of Essex, UK)

  • Gina Netto

    (Heriot-Watt University, UK)

  • Mike Noon

    (Queen Mary University of London, UK)

  • Filip Sosenko

    (Heriot-Watt University, UK)

  • Philomena de Lima

    (University of the Highlands and Islands, UK)

  • Nicolina Kamenou-Aigbekaen

    (Zayed University, UAE)

Abstract

This article analyses the relationship between cultural difference, social connections and opportunity structures using interview evidence from low-paid workers and managers in local government, the health service, facilities management and housing. Exploring the operation of homosocial reproduction it reveals the double-edged nature of informality and the role of favouritism in particular in perpetuating ethnic advantage and privilege. While demonstrating that uses of homosocial reproduction need to be sensitive to intersections of identities or categories of difference, the article adds further evidence of the persistent gap between equal opportunities policies and practice for ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom labour market. The article concludes that stronger forms of positive action, and even positive discrimination, are needed to address the low pay traps and restricted opportunities of ethnic minority workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Hudson & Gina Netto & Mike Noon & Filip Sosenko & Philomena de Lima & Nicolina Kamenou-Aigbekaen, 2017. "Ethnicity and low wage traps: favouritism, homosocial reproduction and economic marginalization," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(6), pages 992-1009, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:31:y:2017:i:6:p:992-1009
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017016674898
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017016674898
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0950017016674898?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stella Nkomo & Taylor Cox, 1990. "Factors affecting the upward mobility of black managers in private sector organizations," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 18(3), pages 39-57, December.
    2. Ralph Fevre & Heidi Grainger & Rioch Brewer, 2011. "Discrimination and Unfair Treatment in the Workplace," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 49(Supplemen), pages 207-235, July.
    3. Kingston, Gillian & McGinnity, Frances & O'Connell, Philip J., 2015. "Discrimination in the Labour Market: Nationality, Ethnicity and the Recession," Papers RB2015/2/2, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Javdani, Mohsen & McGee, Andrew, 2013. "Intra-Firm Upward Mobility and Immigration," IZA Discussion Papers 7378, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. McGinnity, Frances & Grotti, Raffaele & Groarke, Sarah & Coughlan, Sarah, 2018. "Ethnicity and nationality in the Irish labour market," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT369.
    3. McGinnity, Frances & Privalko, Ivan & Fahey, Éamonn & O'Brien, Doireann & Enright, Shannen, 2020. "Origin and integration: a study of migrants in the 2016 Irish Census," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT392.
    4. Merike Darmody & Emer Smyth, 2017. "Out-of-School Social Activities among Immigrant-Origin Children Living in Ireland," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 48(4), pages 419-439.
    5. Jessica H. Carlson & Mary Crawford, 2012. "Communication Stereotypes and Perceptions of Managers," SAGE Open, , vol. 2(4), pages 21582440124, November.
    6. Fabienne Liechti, 2020. "Connecting Employers and Workers: Can Recommendations from the Public Employment Service Act as a Substitute for Social Contacts?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(4), pages 587-604, August.
    7. McGinnity, Frances & Gijsberts, Merove, 2015. "Perceived Group Discrimination among Polish Migrants to Western Europe: Comparing Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland," Papers WP502, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    8. Gusciute, Egle & Arnold, Samantha & Quinn, Emma, 2016. "Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection into the Labour Market: policies and practices in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS52.
    9. Frances McGinnity & Gillian Kingston, 2017. "An Irish Welcome? Changing Irish Attitudes to Immigrants and Immigration: The Role of Recession and Immigration," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 48(3), pages 253-279.
    10. Barrett, Alan & McGinnitty, Frances & Quinn, Emma (ed.), 2017. "Monitoring Report on Integration 2016," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT330.
    11. McGinnity, Frances & Grotti, Raffaele & Kenny, Oona & Russell, Helen, 2017. "Who experiences discrimination in Ireland? Evidence from the QNHS Equality Modules," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT342.
    12. Melanie K. Jones, 2016. "Disability and Perceptions of Work and Management," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(1), pages 83-113, March.
    13. Arnold, Samantha & Whelan, Susan & Quinn, Emma, 2017. "Illegal employment of non-EU nationals in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS64.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:31:y:2017:i:6:p:992-1009. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.