Thread by @WeedenKim

There are two simultaneous shocks to the sociology job market this year: 1) a precipitous decline in the number of positions; and 2) a discontinuous shift in the share of positions in different areas within the discipline.

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In sociology, a much higher share of positions (inc. postdocs) this year are for scholars of race. This shift is understandable given the times, BLM, and renewed internal and external pressure on universities to diversity the curricula, the faculty, or both.

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The first type of shock, the decline in positions, hurts all JMCs. One response is to extend PhD funding for current cohorts. In practice, this increases inequality across cohorts, because extra funding for current or late-stage cohorts means no funding for a new cohort.

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The second shock to the market this year, the shift in search areas, disproportionately harms JMCs who do not focus on race. Although on average all JMCs are affected by fewer positions (type 1 shock), pain for JMCs who study race partially offset by share shift (type 2 shock).

It's not reasonable to tell 3rd, 4th, or 5th year students that they should switch to studying race if they want to compete for academic jobs. Interests just don't work that way. Besides, it takes time to master a literature and publish in a new area. However, ...

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Any effort to offset the effects of second type of shock to the market will run afoul of other definitions of equity. E.g., a program that gives 1 extra year of funding to students who study race but 2 extra years to others would be enormously unpopular, to say least.

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In this regard, figuring out how to support grad students runs into similar challenges as parental accommodations: mothers, on average, lose more research time to parenthood, but some (most?) unis give equivalent accommodations to mothers and fathers. Fair, or not fair?

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I don't have answers. I don't know the best (and for whom?) or fairest way to respond to the massive structural shifts in this and most likely the next few years' job markets. But, discussions should acknowledge that shifts are in kind as well as in number of jobs.

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