Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Equal Law, Unequal Process: How Context and Judges Shape Equal Opportunity Decision-Making in the Courts

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Sociology.
Federal anti-employment discrimination laws have succeeded in changing levels of diversity and inequality at work. Inequality and workplace discrimination, however, persist. One cause may be unequal enforcement of anti-discrimination laws; another may very well be the non-neutrality of the legal process itself. In this second regard, some research highlights ways in which a judge’s race and/or gender might shape how cases are handled. Other works suggests that local social context (e.g., the geography of place and local politics) may matter as well. In this thesis I build on such prior work and, drawing on a set of EEOC workplace discrimination cases prosecuted in Federal Court and combining it with locality data, I analyze: (1) the impact of local context, specifically rurality and local and regional political context, and; (2) how judges race and gender interact with the local cultural-milieu. Findings reveal that white judges and rural judges are more defendant friendly in their motion decisions and case determinations. Meanwhile, white judges in the south and in conservative areas respond more conservatively to their social context than black judges. These specific effects of locality are more pronounced and significant in race compared to gender-specific discrimination cases. More generally, cases in rural locals witness more conservative decision-making and, thus, more negative outcomes for plaintiffs.
Vinnie Roscigno (Advisor)
Rachel Dwyer (Advisor)
Ryan King (Committee Member)
Eric Schoon (Committee Member)
47 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kleps, C. (2017). Equal Law, Unequal Process: How Context and Judges Shape Equal Opportunity Decision-Making in the Courts [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503073597694633

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kleps, Christopher. Equal Law, Unequal Process: How Context and Judges Shape Equal Opportunity Decision-Making in the Courts . 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503073597694633.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kleps, Christopher. "Equal Law, Unequal Process: How Context and Judges Shape Equal Opportunity Decision-Making in the Courts ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1503073597694633

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)