ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the conceptual and theoretical underpinning necessary to develop a critical analysis of the employment patterns and outcomes outlined in Chapter 2. It presents the main theoretical explanations for employment patterns and outcomes by social group and provides a critical analysis of these theoretical explanations, highlighting strengths and weaknesses. By summarising the main theories that help us to explain employment segregation, inequalities, and disadvantage, neoclassical and labour segmentation theories are shown to offer only a partial explanation. A particular weakness is the emphasis placed on the notion of free or rational “choice” by labour market actors. Sociological theories offer a fuller explanation, linking employment segregation and disadvantage to embedded norms and attitudes that have developed as a consequence of wider social identity categorisation, including insights from feminist theorising. Social group stereotypes are found to be particularly influential in recruitment and selection, where decisions made on the basis of acceptability criteria can lead to discrimination and disadvantage for “minority” workers.
