Racial Occupational Inequality, 1940-1980: A Research Note on the Impact of the Changing Regional Distribution of the Black Population

Authors:
  • MFMark A. Fossett
    Mark A. Fossett
  • OGOmer R. Galle
    Omer R. Galle
  • JBJeffrey A. Burr
    Jeffrey A. Burr
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Abstract
Aggregate occupational inequality between white and black men declined at the national level in each decade between 1940 and 1980. In the 1940s and 1950s, these reductions were produced by the movement of the black population out of the South and into other regions and did not reflect improvements in relative opportunities for blacks within regions. In the 1960s and 1970s, reductions in occupational inequality resulted primarily from improvements in relative opportunities for blacks, and the impact of demographic change on inequality was comparatively slight.