Gender, Immigration, and Economic Hierarchy and Hardship in Twenty-First Century America

• In Event: 212 - Section on Inequality, Poverty and Mobility Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Immigration and Inequality

Abstract

Immigration and immigrant well-being are hotly divisive issues—issues that traverse politics, history, and understandings of social mobility and inequality. The labor market has received particular attention, in this regard, as both an arena of central interest and conflict. Yet our understanding of contemporary immigrant incorporation and economic stratification is somewhat limited, especially in terms of how race/ethnicity and sex intersect with immigrant status. Given limited systematic comparative research in this vein, this study employs a case-centered comparative design to examine the labor market experiences of immigrant and minority men and women. Drawing from the 2010-2012 American Community Survey (ACS), my analyses focus on Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City—four high-volume immigrant destinations representing diverse racial/ethnic populations, occupational concentrations, and political-legal dynamics. In addition, ACS data are supplemented with state records of immigration legislation proposed, enacted, and/or vetoed for the period spanning 2006-2012. Such an approach offers important leverage for distilling dynamics that bolster mobility and/or intensify inequality. Findings demonstrate assimilative behaviors and human capital benefit immigrant and minority group employment opportunities and returns. Yet discernible group-level inequalities suggestive of racial- and ethnic-based hierarchies and closure are evidenced as well. Moreover, analyses suggest incorporation pathways for immigrant women differ from their male counterparts. In particular, women’s wages are compressed compared to men, while in several instances economic returns fail to favor native-born women over foreign-born co-ethnics. Findings are discussed in light of their broader empirical and theoretical implications toward understanding patterns and processes of mobility and inequality.

Author

• Salvatore J. Restifo, University of Texas-Pan American