Social inequality in career trajectories: How occupations shape unequal task allocation between social groups

Recent studies suggest that day-to-day task allocation is an important driver of inequality between social groups in the workplace. In this conceptual paper, we explore how occupations influence task allocation in a way that fosters social inequality. We develop a framework that links task allocation to differences in career trajectories between practitioners of the same job. In particular, the framework explains how the tasks, stereotypes, and prestige associated with an occupation systematically influence task allocation in the workplace. We argue that occupational imprints lead to typical (atypical) practitioners of an occupation being allocated relatively more core (peripheral) tasks, and explain how this mechanism shapes practitioners' career progression (vs. stagnation or exit). This paper extends current theory on social inequality by theorizing the influence of occupations on an underexplored mechanism of inequality, namely task allocation in the workplace. • Task allocation is an important source of social inequality within jobs • We integrate existing literature on occupations to develop a framework conceptualizing how occupations influence task allocation in ways that foster inequality • Occupations are associated with socially shared, idealized understandings of their core tasks, stereotypical practitioners, and relative status • We theorized a self-reinforcing dynamic in which stereotypical practitioners are allocated core tasks of an occupation, resulting in unequal career trajectories • Our theory conceptualizes the influence of occupations on task allocation, an underexplored mechanism of inequality