Why Do Mexican Americans Earn Low Wages?
Year: 1997
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Using Current Population Survey data from November 1979 and 1989, I find that Mexican Americans earn low wages primarily because they possess less human capital than other workers, not because they receive smaller labor market rewards for their skills. Among third‐and higher‐generation men in 1989, Mexicans averaged 21 percent lower wages than non‐Hispanic whites, which is roughly similar to the wage deficit for blacks. For Mexicans, more than three‐quarters of the wage gap is attributable to their relative youth, English language deficiencies, and especially their lower educational attainment. By contrast, these variables explain less than a third of the black‐white wage gap.
Source: Journal of Political Economy
DOI: 10.1086/516391
Author: Stephen J. Trejo
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1987778994