The Look of a Good Pitcher: Role Prototypicality Contributes to Wage Discrimination

Abstract

Race or gender is a key component of determining role prototypicality in organizations. The current work examines the effect of role prototypes on one of the most critical social and organizational challenges: income inequality. We suggest racial minority members who occupy a less prototypical role would face more wage discrimination compared to racial minority members who occupy a more prototypical role. We analyzed the salaries of Major League Baseball (MLB) players from 1988 to 2019 and found that minority players are at disadvantage in salaries when they occupy a less prototypical role (i.e., pitcher), compared to other more prototypical roles. This effect was specific to minority players and was further moderated by status and centrality of the role. The current findings demonstrate how role prototypicality not only affects perception or evaluation of minority members but also influences how much money they make when they simply look less prototypical for their role.