Social Justice Series: Social Identities Influence on Job and Economic Prospects

April 11, 2011--The University of Wisconsin River Falls will present Cyndi Kernahan, Professor and Chair of Psychology, as part of the Social Justice Series and Unity in the Community on April 20.

The lecture, “Myth Versus Reality: How Do Your Social Identities Influence Your Job and Economic Prospects?” will be held from 2-2:50 p.m. in the Kinnickinnic River Theater of the University Center. The event’s topic will examine how social identities have an effect in the workplace and on paychecks.

“I think that students and others can pull some important information from my talk. Many people, students especially, may be worried about their job prospects and economic futures given the recession,” says Kernahan.

This lecture will also take a look at the variety of factors that can be associated with beneficial and detrimental wage earnings components.

“Obviously money is important to people and career success is central to many of our lives. Its also important to understand how things outside of one's control (skin color or gender or sexual orientation) can affect us in ways that we might not realize,” says Kernahan.

Information about how pieces of an identity, for example, race, gender, sexual orientation and body size and the likelihood of them contributing to employment and income will be addressed in this lecture.
 
“It’s important to know the reality given how many stereotypes there are out there and I would hope that by examining the numbers more closely, everyone will have a better and more realistic picture of how jobs and money are tied to social identity,” says Kernahan.

For more information, contact Ashley Olson, sociocultural coordinator, at
ashley.e.olson@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-4444.