Socio: Chapter 7 Review

16. Asian American men have the highest average earnings in the United States. What evidence suggests that Asians still might experience discrimination in the labor force? a. Their average earnings should actually be even higher because Asians have higher average educational attainment than whites. b. Even though Asians have higher average educational attainment, they are rejected from selective colleges at a higher rate than whites. c. Asians rarely benefit from affirmative action practices aimed at diversifying the workplace. d. All of the above

a. Their average earnings should actually be even higher because Asians have higher average educational attainment than whites.

1. As of 2013, the United States had more income inequality than Mexico. a. True b. False

a. True

10. The median income of white workers in the United States has been higher than that of black workers for as long as we have kept track of income data. a. True b. False

a. True

3. One out of three black men born in the twenty-first century can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime. a. True b. False

a. True

7. Incarcerated people are not included in the unemployment rate. a. True b. False

a. True

9. Given the unequal conditions of the formal labor market, one way racial and ethnic minorities cope is by turning to self-employment. a. True b. False

a. True

24. If the average pay for white assembly-line workers is $7.15, but it is $6.25 for black assembly-line workers, this difference in the price of labor between the two groups is an example of a. a split labor market. b. categorical exclusion. c. shifting standards. d. race-based job channeling.

a. a split labor market.

21. Since the late 1960s, the average pay for low-skilled workers has been decreasing. One reason for the decreases is a. deindustrialization. b. shifting standards. c. an economic recession. d. cut backs on the minimum wage.

a. deindustrialization.

12. As of 2011, the United States has a Gini coefficient of 47.7. Compared to other advanced economies, in terms of income inequality, the United States a. is one of the most unequal. b. is slightly more equal. c. is one of the most equal. d. rates about the same as the others.

a. is one of the most unequal.

15. When taking gender into account, data about racial inequality in the labor market shows that the human capital advantage of work experience is a. less for black women than for white and Hispanic women. b. more for Hispanic women than white or black women. c. more for black and Hispanic women than for white women. d. less for Hispanic women than for white or black women.

a. less for black women than for white and Hispanic women.

2. Compared with similar nations, the United States ranks the best in terms of child poverty rates and has the smallest difference in ratio between the richest 10 percent and poorest 10 percent. a. True b. False

b. False

4. In the United States, the difference in earnings between the richest and poorest people has been slowly decreasing over the past few decades. a. True b. False

b. False

5. White men have the highest average earnings in the United States. a. True b. False

b. False

6. Asian American men do not face discrimination in the labor market. a. True b. False

b. False

8. Incarcerated people who work in prison are guaranteed the federal minimum wage. a. True b. False

b. False

20. If a social scientist compares the earnings of forty-year-old high school-educated white men to similarly situated black men and finds a disparity, what conclusion can be drawn from these results? a. The black men likely attended less rigorous high schools. b. Labor market discrimination plays a role in the earnings disparity. c. The white men must be working harder than the black men. d. Periods of joblessness were not factored in when comparing the two groups.

b. Labor market discrimination plays a role in the earnings disparity.

14. Fill in the blank: The median income of white workers in the United States is higher than that of black workers. This difference in earnings by group is an example of the _____ gap. a. gross income b. earnings c. pay d. wage

b. earnings

13. Fill in the blanks (2): The _____ gap refers to overall income regardless of hours worked, whereas the _____ gap refers only to the difference in the amount earned per hour worked. a. gross income; pay b. earnings; wage c. pay; gross income d. wage; earnings

b. earnings; wage

23. Fill in the blank: According to the _____, many African Americans live in areas where there has been a reduction in work for low-skilled workers, and African American men in particular often do not have the skills required to secure work in the current economy. a. residential segregation theory b. skills mismatch hypothesis c. deindustrialization perspective d. "wage of whiteness" perspective

b. skills mismatch hypothesis

29. The theory that associates the geographic exclusion of black families from places where jobs are located with racial inequality in the labor market is known as a. deindustrialization. b. spatial mismatch hypothesis. c. skills mismatch hypothesis. d. human capital.

b. spatial mismatch hypothesis.

31. Fill in the blank: During the 1980s, wages increased for high-skilled jobs, government sector work declined, many unionized jobs went overseas, and part-time and temporary work rose. These are all _____ explanations for labor market inequality. a. individual b. structural c. human capital d. social capital

b. structural

26. Some immigrants have attained success through clusters of small businesses that primarily serve people of the same ethnicity and work to facilitate the success of co-ethnics. These clusters of businesses are referred to as a. affirmative action programs. b. the ethnic enclave economy. c. split labor markets. d. racialized industries.

b. the ethnic enclave economy.

19. Fill in the blank: A college degree, five years of work experience, and computer skills are all examples of _____ capital. a. social b. cultural c. human d. work

c. human

11. Even when accounting for accounting for differences in education, skills, years on the job, and productivity, studies of labor market discrimination and income inequality clearly show that a. black women earn more than white women, but all whites earn more than Latinos. b. women earn more than men, and Asian women earn more than any other group. c. men earn more than women, and white workers earn more than n workers. d. Latino men earn more than Asian men, with white men earning the least.

c. men earn more than women, and white workers earn more than n workers.

18. The underemployment category includes a. jobless workers actively seeking work. b. people who are working part-time yet are available to work full-time. c. those who have looked for work in the past year yet are not actively seeking employment. d. All of the above

d. All of the above

22. The deindustrialization of the U.S. economy is a consequence of which of the following factors? a. The computer revolution and the spread of new technologies that can replace low-skill workers b. The growth in college enrollment, which increased the supply of high-skill labor in the United States c. Increases in international trade, which means that U.S.-based corporations have been able to send jobs overseas d. All of the above

d. All of the above

27. Racial inequality in the labor force is apparent by examining trends in a. racial disparities in unemployment rates. b. racial disparities in earnings across education levels. c. evidence of hiring discrimination from audit studies. d. All of the above

d. All of the above

30. How does the disproportionate incarceration of black men perpetuate economic inequality? a. Incarcerated individuals are not guaranteed the minimum wage and therefore have no or very low earnings for the duration of their incarceration. b. The stigma of a criminal record makes it difficult for formerly incarcerated people to find a job. c. Incarcerated individuals are penalized for time out of the labor force because they are unable to gain work experience while incarcerated. d. All of the above

d. All of the above

28. Fill in the blank: _____ is a structural explanation for racial inequality in the labor market. a. Overt discrimination b. Implicit employer bias c. Human capital differences d. Deindustrialization

d. Deindustrialization

25. Affirmative action in federal contracting, as described in Lyndon Johnson's Executive Order 11246 and similar civil rights legislation, influenced African Americans and Latinos by a. ending quota programs that had previously helped them gain jobs under federal contracts. b. opening up low-wage work to Chinese immigrants, creating more competition for jobs. c. granting preferential treatment to nonwhite job applicants. d. helping them secure employment in what had been a primarily white employment sector.

d. helping them secure employment in what had been a primarily white employment sector.

17. Although measures of wage differentials and the earnings gap provide an understanding of inequality in the labor market, this understanding is limited because these measures do not take into account a. job skills and training. b. race and gender. c. education and years of experience. d. joblessness and underemployment.

d. joblessness and underemployment.