When I think of systems of power, I think about the American Dream. The idea that we all have a chance to make it to the top if we try hard enough, but is that really the truth? The opportunity to gain an education, get hired into an advancing career, get approved for loans, find the right healthcare plan, and buy a home have all been based on choices from people in power, but now that we have reached an age of technological advancement, companies are able to utilize algorithms to recruit, scan resumes, and make financial decisions without any human interaction. What happens to the systems of power when opportunity is weighed within the minds of computers?
If the online hiring algorithms, for example, are based on existing data which has been collected over the past 10-20 years, then wouldn’t the algorithms be based on segregated racial and gendered biases? An article in the Virginia Law Review by Puline T. Kim (2020) asks us to critically think about these issues, and I think this subject is one of the leading issues in opportunistic bias and power inequalities. Based on Kim’s research, 84%-93% of job recruiters use online recruiting strategies. That means that most resumes will need to be examined by artificial intelligence software before it is ever seen by human eyes. I have been told that my resume needs to be formatted in a particular way so that these systems will recognize my skills. If I need to make my resume a certain way to get past an algorithm, and I have several gaps in employment due to being a mom and a full-time student for the past 9 years, then wouldn’t the algorithm place me lower on the acceptance list than maybe a male with less gaps?
According to what I have learned, my chances are slim. My (loaded) question to my classmates is, if the best match is picked by algorithms based on data from online content, then how are these methods not discriminatory? How do we know that the hiring committee or the credit analyzers or health insurance benefit workers are even seeing what we have sent them if an AI system has disqualified us based on data alone? Where is the individual’s power to have a fair chance in this technology driven world? And most importantly, what is to be done to influence change in the technologically advanced web of online information when the people in power are still unequally balanced in the first place? How many people of color or women do we see leading these tech fields at the top?
Reference:
Kim. (2020). MANIPULATING OPPORTUNITY. Virginia Law Review, 106(4), 867–935. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27074709Links to an external site.
The Adulting Compass 
2 responses to “Systems of Power”
I do not understand algorithms of these websites. I have been successful using Indeed as a job searching tool, but still have yet to find a job that pays very much. My dream jobs are all obviously out of my reach with the “your resume is missing some qualifications”. I can still apply, adjust my resume and shoot my shot in the dark. It hasn’t worked. I’ve been interviewed for a receptionist position by a group of lawyers who were very impressed with a lot of things about me. Yet, it seems that my lack of a degree kept me from this position.
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troubleisbess,
There seems to be a high standard of acceptable degree levels, and not much regard for experience in trades across jobs. Most jobs I have seen are looking for some level of college experience if not a bachelor’s degree to pay above the minimum wage. The qualifications for making it by on just one job without a 4-year degree is almost impossible unless you have over 10 years of experience. It’s sad because access to getting an accredited degree is not available across the board to all class levels. Many might start out but cannot balance both their work life and their college classes and end up stuck choosing between the two. The system does not give much help to those in these positions. I was fortunate enough to go through college while married, but I did work two jobs and was raising two kids at the time as well. If I were to be doing that on my own income, there would be no way I could have finished my degree.
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