This can be differently phrased as "privilege to be low-status". If you are an underrepresented minority and spend years working in a low-status position, the

This can be differently phrased as "privilege to be low-status". If you are an underrepresented minority and spend years working in a low-status position, the likelihood of a payoff for you is much lesser than it is for someone who typically doesn't experience discrimination based on their age, race, or gender. The downside for spending those years for some people is much higher than others. A social safety net can de-risk this somewhat, but the US doesn't have a meaningful one. So really, the "willingness to be low-status" often just means "coming from a background that's high-status enough that being low-status for a few years will not significantly damage their financial prospects".