Gender and Class As Intersecting Stratifiers: Accumulation or Compensation across the Life Course — Part I

Ascribed and acquired individual characteristics continue to shape life chances. In social stratification research, gender and social class—whether of origin or destination—have received considerable attention as determinants of occupational and life outcomes. Yet these two systems of stratification are rarely studied in a unified manner. A central question remains: do the (dis)advantages associated with one characteristic simply add to those associated with another, or do they interact, such that the effect of one systematically varies across levels of another? Class position may amplify gender gaps, for example, in occupational outcomes, such that high-class men gain disproportionately while low-class women face compounded disadvantages—an accumulation of (dis)advantages. Alternatively, class may operate as a leveler, producing relatively greater gains for women than for men at comparable class positions, thereby narrowing gender gaps—a compensatory effect. Identifying which dynamic prevails, and under what conditions, is key to understanding how intersecting stratification systems structure life chances. This session invites contributions that investigate the joint role of gender and social class as intersecting stratifiers across the life course. Relevant outcomes include school-to-work transitions, labor market attainment, family formation, and life-course events—domains where the compounding of gendered and class-based inequalities has been theoretically anticipated but remains empirically underexplored. The session encourages research that advances both the conceptualization and empirical testing of intersecting forms of inequality. Theoretically-driven empirical contributions using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods are welcome. Studies with a comparative and/or longitudinal design, as well as experimental approaches, are considered especially valuable.