This is a study of structural determinants of race-sex labor market segregation and earnings. It will analyze differences between race and gender groups in their distribution across industrial and occupational segments and in the rewards they received from these positions, using census data from 1980 and 1990. The work has three chief goals. First, it will describe the linkage of rewards and allocation differentials, using an earnings decomposition analysis which explicitly models the impact of the differential distribution of race-sex groups across labor market positions. This structural decomposition measures the extent to which earnings gaps among race-sex groups can be attributed to: (1) group mean differences in characteristics; (2) group differences in returns to characteristics, and (3) group differences in their distributions across work positions that have varying rewards. The second goal is to assess the linkage of allocation and rewards differentials using a causal model of their determinants and their inter-relationship. A two-stage model will be used to test hypotheses drawn from an integration of segmented market theory and race-sex queue theory. Predictors include structural contexts and conditions of work, aspects of sex and race-stereotyped work situations, and the population redistribution of the work force across positions. The third objective is to update and disseminate improved measures of contemporary industrial structure. %%% This project will lead to an improved understanding of how race and gender affect the utilization and financial reward of human capital in the United States. For example, it will help us understand the extent to which the concentration of blacks and women in low-paying jobs affects the average incomes of these groups, in contrast with the underpayment of these groups in the same jobs held by whites and males. In addition, the research will clarify the extent to which both individuals and the nation suffer from the under-utilizatio n of the skills and abilities of many Americans.
