ABSTRACT
Based on the Census of the Population for I960 and 1970 and the Survey of Income and Education in 1976, this chapter analyzes socioeconomic inequality between five minority populations and the majority population and then decomposes ethnic “gaps” into shares that are “explained” by age, nativity, residence, education, and other social background attributes. Among the theoretical problems unaddressed in the conventional assimilation model are the motivations for discrimination and possible explanations for successful minorities. Current place of residence provides a crude indicator of differential access to labor markets, which are divided by geography. Trends in socioeconomic structure have both a long-term pattern and short-term cyclical variations. A reading of the total ethnic effects on earnings yields a conclusion similar to that derived from the comparable figures for occupational attainment. Perhaps the most important finding of our study is the contrasting role of education as an intervening variable in minority group achievement.
