Racial Economic Inequality over the Life Course: Does Childhood Health Play a Role?

• In Event: Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 5. Inequality and Health

Abstract

This study examines the role of childhood health in shaping racial economic disparities over the life course. Many of the same structural and systemic barriers that impact racial economic disparities have also produced disparities in child health among Black Americans, while childhood health has consistently been shown to be a predictor of labor market outcomes and socioeconomic status later in life. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study with a linkage to Social Security Administration earnings records, I find that poorer childhood health is associated with disproportionately large reductions in earnings and employment for Black respondents over the life course compared to White respondents. In Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions, I find that up to 2.4% of the earnings gap and 12.2% of the employment gap in my sample can be attributed to childhood health, with the contribution being greatest in midlife. Conversely, childhood health has little role in shaping Black wealth or the Black-White wealth gap, likely reflecting the greater influence of other factors in shaping these outcomes. These results highlight a small, but potentially important impact of childhood health as well as the need to continue addressing structural barriers to racial economic equality in the U.S.

Author

• Marai Hayes, City University of New York