ABSTRACT
Of the four sex-race categories of workers, black and white men and women — white men are subject to neither racism nor sexism. Black men are subject to racism but not to sexism and white women to sexism but not to racism. Racism refers to discrimination built into the institutional structures of our society. Sexism and racism are operationalized on the basis of two work-related kinds of indexes, namely employment status and earnings. With respect to unemployment, racism seemed to be more important for black women than sexism. It is the institutional structure that produces the discriminatory consequences for which "reverse sexism" is merely a palliative. Racism had declined far faster than sexism. If sexism were gotten rid of, the earnings of white women would be increased by 76.6 percent and their unemployment rate decreased by 26.6 percent; of black women, 41.8 and 22.7 percent. If both were removed, the earnings of black women would go up 105.8 percent.
