8.3 Dimensions of Racial and Ethnic Inequality
Dr. Tim McLean
Learning Objectives
- Describe any two manifestations of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States.
- Explain how and why racial inequality takes a hidden toll on people of color.
- Provide two examples of white privilege.
Racial and ethnic inequality manifests itself in all walks of life. The individual and institutional discrimination just discussed is one manifestation of this inequality. We can also see stark evidence of racial and ethnic inequality in various government statistics. Sometimes statistics lie, and sometimes they provide all too true a picture; statistics on racial and ethnic inequality fall into the latter category. Table 3.2 “Selected Indicators of Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States” presents data on racial and ethnic differences in income, education, and health.
Table 9.2 Selected Indicators of Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States
| White | Black/African American | Latinx | Asian | Native American | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median family income, 2010 ($) | 68,818 | 39,900 | 41,102 | 76,736 | 39,664 |
| Persons who are college educated, 2010 (%) | 30.3 | 19.8 | 13.9 | 52.4 | 14.9 (2008) |
| Persons in poverty, 2010 (%) | 9.9 | 27.4 | 26.6 | 12.1 | 28.4 |
| Infant mortality (number of infant deaths per 1,000 births), 2006 | 5.6 | 12.9 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 8.3 |
Sources: Data from US Census Bureau. (2012). Statistical abstract of the United States: 2012. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab; US Census Bureau. (2012). American FactFinder. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml; MacDorman, M., & Mathews, T. J. (2011). Infant Deaths—United States, 2000–2007. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60(1), 49–51.
The picture presented by Table 3.2 “Selected Indicators of Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States” is clear: US racial and ethnic groups differ dramatically in their life chances. Compared to white individuals, for example, Black individuals, Latinx individuals, and Native Americans have much lower family incomes and much higher rates of poverty; they are also much less likely to have college degrees.
Although Table 3.2 “Selected Indicators of Racial and Ethnic Inequality in the United States” shows that Black individuals, Latinx individuals, and Native Americans fare much worse than white individuals, it presents a more complex pattern for Asian Americans. Compared to white individuals, Asian Americans have higher family incomes overall and are more likely to hold college degrees, but they also have a higher poverty rate. Thus many Asian Americans do relatively well, while others fare relatively worse, as just noted. Although Asian Americans are often stereotyped as a “model minority,” meaning that they have achieved economic success despite not being white, some Asians have been less able than others to climb the econ