Research shows deep class and wealth divisions between faculty and broader society. Can colleges change that?

Higher Ed Dive

James Anderson

November 28, 2022

Kevin Taylor, a philosophy instructor at the University of Memphis, grew up in central Illinois, outside of academic circles. Even though his parents never told him to expect money for college, both Taylor and his sibling earned doctorates.

“We considered ourselves working class,” Taylor said. “Mom’s side of the family was restaurant business, whereas dad was in grocery. I think it’s somewhat uncommon for someone in my situation to go to college and very uncommon to earn a Ph.D.”

Taylor is not on the tenure track, and he took out “loans upon loans” for his doctoral program because no one advised him to actively seek out funding. Although he found full-time employment at Memphis — escaping the need to cobble together classes at multiple institutions to scrape together enough income to survive — he says his tenure-track and tenured colleagues enjoy perks he doesn’t.

“I do feel the pressing need to work my ass off, constantly prove myself, and do everything a tenure-track colleague does to get noticed, at risk to health and sanity,” Taylor said. “I can’t take a vacation or travel because I need to save money. My colleagues clearly get rest and relaxation, travel, and have disposable income for restaurants and entertainment. I do not.”

Aside from that, Taylor doesn’t think his socioeconomic background noticeably disadvantaged him — but his experience raises questions about pervasive divides that exist within academia. Using zip code data, a study published earlier this year found that tenure-track professors had median childhood household incomes that were 23% higher — or about $14,000 more — than the median income across all zip codes.

The study surveyed nearly 47,000 faculty across eight different disciplines, including STEM, social science and humanities fields. Its findings highlight how parents pass on their socioeconomic standing to their children and spark concerns that a college education locks in class rather than drives social mobility. It also found that over one in five tenure-track faculty boasts at least one parent with a Ph.D.

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