Abstract The white-collar ideal worker norm helps to explain why social inequality persists in the workplace, yet the concept reflects corporate workplaces of the mid-twentieth century. This article identifies emerging cultural ideals for white-collar workers in today’s economy by examining the experiences of high earners in financial services. Despite its glorification of flexibility and independence, scholars have shown how the “new economy” produces different forms of inequality at work than in the post-World War II era. Drawing from interviews with 48 hedge fund workers and field observations at workplaces and industry events, I bring together well-known features of work in the new economy to update the white-collar ideal worker norm to reflect changes in the organization of work. I call this the portfolio ideal because it captures how white-collar workers must make ongoing investments in resources and development to create a portfolio of skills and experiences that allows them to navigate the turbulence of the neoliberal new economy. As portfolio workers, hedge fund workers identify as independent workers, value a passion for the work, take risks to get ahead, and invest in social capital. Although it appears to be disembodied, the portfolio norm reflects implicit assumptions about gender, race, and social class. By shedding light on cultural responses to job polarization and income inequality, this research helps to identify a shift from a more collective work arrangement to one that is individually oriented, which transfers the risks of employment from employers to workers.

中文翻译：

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投资组合理想工作者：新经济中的不安全感和不平等

摘要 白领理想工作者规范有助于解释为什么社会不平等在工作场所持续存在，但这一概念反映了二十世纪中叶的企业工作场所。本文通过研究高收入者在金融服务中的经历，确定了当今经济中白领工人的新兴文化理想。尽管美化了灵活性和独立性，但学者们已经展示了“新经济”如何在工作中产生与二战后时代不同形式的不平等。通过对48位对冲基金从业者的采访，以及在工作场所和行业活动中的实地观察，我汇集了新经济中众所周知的工作特征，更新了白领理想工人规范，以反映工作组织的变化。我将其称为理想的投资组合，因为它反映了白领必须如何持续投资于资源和发展以创造技能和经验的投资组合，使他们能够驾驭新自由主义新经济的动荡。作为投资组合从业者，对冲基金从业者认为自己是独立工作者，重视对工作的热情，勇于承担风险以取得成功，并投资于社会资本。虽然它似乎是无形的，但投资组合规范反映了关于性别、种族和社会阶层的隐含假设。通过阐明对工作两极分化和收入不平等的文化反应，这项研究有助于确定从更集体的工作安排到以个人为导向的工作安排的转变，这种安排将就业风险从雇主转移到工人。