The Role of Discrimination in Determining Occupational Structure

Abstract

The author of this study attempts to isolate the role of discrimination in determining racial differences in occupational structure. Logit techniques are used to identify and distinguish between determinants of the probability that an individual will choose an occupation and the probability that an individual will be hired for a desired job. The empirical results indicate that much of the under-representation of blacks in managerial, sales and clerical, and craft occupations can be attributed to employment discrimination. These findings thus seriously challenge human capital models, which treat occupational distribution as resulting from individual choice.