Social Mobility among Young Black and White Men

The National Longitudinal Surveys of young males provides the data for the construction of causal models of occupational mobility for both black and white workers. These NLS data allow several methodological variations from previous occupational mobility research, including longitudinal design, less reliance on retrospective techniques, and a more precise time frame. The annual models indicate that beyond years of education, very few variables available to most surveys have a statistically significant effect on variation in occupational prestige and income. Also, these longitudinal surveys show a growing racial gap in occupational rewards. Much of this increase in the black-white reward differences is found to be related to labor market racial discrimination in advancement rather than to different levels of family background and labor market entry. Policy implications are drawn based on the importance of education and the racial discrimination in occupational mobility.