Conditional occupational segregation of minorities in the U.S.

Working Paper 2010-185

Abstract

In this paper, we use a propensity score-based methodology to analyze the role of demographic and human capital characteristics of minorities in the U.S. in explaining their high occupational segregation with respect to whites. Thus, we measure conditional segregation based on an estimated counterfactual distribution in which minorities are given the relevant characteristics of whites. Our results show that the different levels of attained education by ethnicity and race explain a substantial share of occupational segregation of non-whites in the U.S., while English skills or immigration status are especially relevant for explaining segregation among Hispanics and Asians.

Authors: .

Keywords: conditional occupational segregation, race and ethnicity, United States.
JEL: D63, J15, J16, J71, J82.