Barbara Reskin

Barbara Reskin is an American sociologist whose research primarily focuses on occupational segregation, gender inequality, and workplace discrimination. She investigates how systemic practices, rather than just individual prejudices, create disparities in the labor market. Her work has been fundamental in understanding how employers rank and sort workers.

One of her most influential works is "Job Queues, Gender Queues," co-authored with Patricia Roos in 1990. The book explains how changes in the labor market can actually alter the gender composition of certain professions. It argues that employers use queues to rank workers, which inadvertently affects gender segregation.

Reskin argues that much workplace discrimination is not the result of malicious, individual bias, but rather organizational structures and common practices. She highlights how standard hiring metrics and job requirements systematically disadvantage certain groups. Her perspective shifts the blame from individual actors to broader institutional habits.

Barbara Reskin had a distinguished academic career, spending many years as a highly respected professor at the University of Washington. Before that, she taught at Indiana University and Ohio State University. Her research and teaching have significantly influenced the field of sociology, particularly the subfield of work and occupations.