Intersecting Inequalities: Four Essays on Race, Immigration, and Gender in the Contemporary United States
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INTERSECTING INEQUALITIES: FOUR ESSAYS ON RACE, IMMIGRATION, AND GENDER IN THE CONTEMPORARY UNITED STATES by Emily K. Greenman A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Public Policy and Sociology) in The University of Michigan 2007 Doctoral Committee: Professor Yu Xie, Co-Chair Professor Mary E. Corcoran, Co-Chair Professor Sheldon H. Danziger Professor Pamela J. Smock © Emily K. Greenman 2007 To Mom and Dad, who have unfailingly supported my education from the earliest days. ii Acknowledgements I would like first to acknowledge the contributions of my advisor, Yu Xie, to Chapters 2 and 4, which will be published as coauthored papers. This dissertation was written with financial support from both the University of Michigan’s Population Studies Center and Rackham Graduate School. I was a trainee in both the Population Studies Center and the Quantitative Methodology Program at the University of Michigan during my graduate studies, and I have benefited greatly from the supportive and intellectually dynamic environments of both these programs. I owe great thanks to my committee, who couldn’t have been more generous with their support, time, and feedback. Pam Smock has always been able to make me think of my research from new directions and has helped me hone my critical thinking skills. Sheldon Danziger provided copious amounts of detailed and astute comments on my work, making sure that I wouldn’t be caught off guard by anything journal reviewers might have to say. A special thanks goes to Mary Corcoran, who recruited me into the joint Public Policy and Sociology doctoral program and who has been a continual source of support and encouragement ever since. Knowing her and her work helped keep me excited and enthusiastic about my own research on women and work during the long dissertation-writing process. Finally, there is really nothing adequate I could say to fully express my gratitude to Yu Xie, whose generosity and devotion to students is unrivalled. I have been very lucky in having the chance to work closely with him during my years as a student, and I can safely say that the bulk of what I have learned is attributable directly to his mentorship. In addition to fostering my growth as a scholar, he has also offered unwavering friendship and support, which have been invaluable in helping me weather some of the more difficult times of the last few years. iii I would also like to thank my dissertation writing group, Susan Lee-Rife and Amanda Toler. Their excellent comments improved this manuscript a great deal, and their companionship and emotional support made the challenges of grad school and dissertation-writing much more manageable. Thanks also to Brienna and Broderick Perelli-Harris, without whom our time in Ann Arbor wouldn’t have been half so much fun. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My husband, Danny Goldstein, has always provided staunch and generous support for my every ambition, and has never complained about the sacrifice of so many weekends and vacations. I couldn’t have made it without him. My parents, George and Nancy Greenman, and my parents-in-law, Rob and Maria Goldstein, have never failed in their interest in and encouragement of my work, even during times when they weren’t sure exactly what it was that I was doing. I have been very lucky to have them all. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................................................vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………...……………………………1 2. IS ASSIMILATION THEORY DEAD? THE EFFECT OF ASSIMILATION ON ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING…………………...…………………………………...5 3. THE ASSIMILATION OF IMMIGRANT ADOLESCENTS: THE ROLE OF NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT....................................................................................59 4. DOUBLE JEOPARDY? THE INTERACTION EFFECT OF GENDER AND RACE ON EARNINGS IN THE U.S......................................................................................102 5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ASIAN AMERICAN AND WHITE WOMEN IN WORK-FAMILY TRADEOFFS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES FOR EARNINGS ......................................................................................................................................135 6. CONCLUSION............................................................................................................169 v List of Figures 1. Figure 1: High School Graduation.............................................................................................44 2. Figure 2: Violence......................................................................................................................44 vi List of Tables CHAPTER 2 Table 2.1: Effects of Assimilation - Pooled Ethnic Groups...............................................45 Table 2.2: Effects of Assimilation for Mexicans................................................................46 Table 2.3: Effects of Assimilation for Puerto Ricans.........................................................47 Table 2.4: Effects of Assimilation for Cubans...................................................................48 Table 2.5: Effects of Assimilation for Chinese..................................................................49 Table 2.6: Effects of Assimilation for Filipinos.................................................................50 Appendix Table 2.A: Patterns of Assimilation by Race and Generation...........................51 Appendix Table 2.B: Variable Descriptions and Means....................................................52 Appendix Table 2.C: Ethnic Differences in the Effects of Assimilation...........................53 CHAPTER 3 Table 3.1: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Immigrant Adolescents’ Substance Use Relative to Native Peers - Hispanics................................................................................89 Table 3.2: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Immigrant Adolescents’ Serious Delinquency Relative to Native Peers - Hispanics...........................................................90 Table 3.3: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Parental Control and Social Assimilation - Hispanics...........................................................................................................................91 Table 3.4: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Immigrant Adolescents’ Substance Use Relative to Native Peers – Asians.....................................................................................92 Table 3.5: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Immigrant Adolescents’ Serious Delinquency Relative to Native Peers - Asians................................................................93 Table 3.6: The Effect of Neighborhood SES on Parental Control and Social Assimilation – Asians................................................................................................................................94 Appendix Table 3.A: Variable Descriptions and Means......................................................95 Appendix Table 3.B: Outcomes by Race and Neighborhood SES.......................................96 Appendix Table 3.C: Neighborhood Differences in At-Risk Behavior Among Non- Immigrant Youth...............................................................................................................97 Appendix Table 3.D: Neighborhood Characteristics by Race and Neighborhood SES.......98 CHAPTER 4 Table 4.1: Earnings and Relative Earnings by Race and Sex...........................................126 Table 4.2: Observed-to-Predicted Earnings Ratios for Minority Women, by Marital Status...............................................................................................................................127 Table 4.3: Racial Differences in Employment For Married Women.................................128 Table 4.4: The Effect of Alternative Family Income on Wife’s Odds of Working...........................................................................................................................129 Appendix Table 4.A: Sample Sizes by Race......................................................................130 Appendix Table 4.B: Observed-to-Predicted Earnings Ratios for Minority Women, by Marital and Family Status................................................................................................131 vii Appendix Table 4.C: Sensitivity Analyses......................................................................132 CHAPTER 5 Table 5.1: Descriptive Statistics on Labor Force Status and Parenthood........................162 Table 5.2: Unadjusted Means and Asian-White Differences in Outcome Variables......163 Table 5.3: The Effect of Having a New Child on Being Not in the Labor Force............164 Table 5.4: The Effect of Having a New Child on Hours Worked per Week...................165 Table 5.5: The Effect of Having a New Child on Change in “Professional-Track” Career Status..............................................................................................................................166 Table 5.6: Asian-White Differences in