ABSTRACT
This chapter constitutes an extension of earlier work by one of the authors on the economic status of turn-of-the-20th century Russian Jewish immigrants, as well as work on Soviet Jewish immigrants to the United States in the late 20th century (Chiswick, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999). The specific purpose of this chapter is to continue this line of research on the linguistic and labor market adaptation of adult male Soviet Jewish immigrants in the United States in the post-1965 period.1 Linguistic adaptation, that is, the acquisition of English language proficiency, is important for many reasons, including increasing access to US schooling and job training and success in the labor market, whether measured by employment or earnings. Moreover, it is important for acquiring US citizenship and thereby expanding job opportunities and increasing political influence. Labor market success is an important element in a family’s economic well being and determines current consumption, as well as having an influence on marital formation and stability, fertility, and parental investments in the human capital of their children.
