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Profiling The New Immigrant Worker: The Effects Of Skin Color And Height, Joni Hersch
Profiling The New Immigrant Worker: The Effects Of Skin Color And Height, Joni Hersch
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
Using data from the New Immigrant Survey 2003, this paper shows that skin color and height affect wages among new lawful immigrants to the U.S. controlling for education, English language proficiency, occupation in source country, family background, ethnicity, race, and country of birth. Immigrants with the lightest skin color earn on average 17 percent more than comparable immigrants with the darkest skin color. Taller immigrants have higher wages, but weight does not affect wages. Controls for extensive current labor market characteristics that may be influenced by discrimination do not eliminate the negative effect of darker skin color on wages.
Skin-Tone Effects Among African Americans: Perceptions And Reality, Joni Hersch
Skin-Tone Effects Among African Americans: Perceptions And Reality, Joni Hersch
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
It is commonly assumed that lighter skinned African Americans receive preferential treatment over darker skinned counterparts. Using individual data from three sources, this paper examines the influence of skin tone on education and on wages. Lighter skin tone has a consistent positive impact on educational attainment but has a less consistent influence on wages. Possible mechanisms by which skin tone differences might influence economic outcomes are investigated, including measurement error, perceived attractiveness, access to integrated schools or work groups, perceived discrimination, and genetic differences. The perception that there is differential treatment on the basis of skin tone is more pronounced …