Racial Separation at Home and Work: Patterns of Segregation in Residential and Workplace Contexts

• In Event: 105 - Section on Sociology of Population Paper Session. Spatial Stratification

Abstract

Racial segregation is typically viewed a process that unfolds in the residential context, but individuals spend a substantial portion of their daily lives in other settings. In this paper, we use special Census tabulations to assess racial segregation in places of work for all U.S. metropolitan areas. In particular, we explore both general trends in workplace segregation over the last several decades and variation in levels of segregation across metro areas. Our initial findings show that - regardless of measure - workplace segregation is consistently lower than residential segregation, but that whites remain relatively more shielded from this integrative process than do nonwhites. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on residential segregation and for broader dynamics of racial/ethnic stratification.

Authors

• Matthew Hall, Cornell University

• John Iceland, Pennsylvania State University

• Youngmin Yi, Cornell University