Income Disparity in the U.S.

This study investigated income disparity in the United States with a focus on race/ethnicity, education, and gender as explanatory variables. Five research questions (three primary and two secondary) were investigated. The study found that income disparities existed in income levels based on race/ethnicity, gender, and formal educational attainment. Minority populations and females fare worse than whites and males in relation to income. Subsidiary research indicated that educational levels were higher among whites than among minority population groups and among males than among females. The conclusion drawn that, while income disparities exist between whites and minority populations and between males and females, the underlying cause may be social factors that cause levels of formal educational attainment to be lower among minority population groups and females, as opposed to overt discrimination in relation to income.

As the American population continues to become more diverse racially, members of visible minority groups within the population become more prominent. Simultaneously with the increase in diversity, income distribution in the American economy has become more distorted. While economic growth in the United States surged over the past decade, the income gap also widened, not only between the richest and poorest Americans, but also between moderate-income and low-income Americans (Coleman, 2003).

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rch questions one through three) is that the research questions measure the direct effect on income of three potential explanatory factors. The rationale for secondary research questions (research questions four and five) is that the research questions measure indirect effects on the relationships between (a) income and race/ethnicity and (b) income and gender. Methods The population under study is the non-institutionalized adult population of the United States. The study sample was selected by the National Opinion Research Center as a part of the ongoing conduct of the United States General Social Survey (GSS). The data for this investigation were obtained from the Survey Documentation and Analysis Web site of the GSS (Davis, Smith, & Marsden, 2003). The size of the GSS sample varied in relation to the specific research questions investigate. The sample sizes by research question were as follows: Primary research questions: 1. Sample size: 5,384 2. Sample size: 8,002 3. Sample size: 8,028 Secondary research questions: 4. Sample size: 40,806 5. Sample size: 43,559 The dependent variable in the primary research questions (one, two, and three) was family income. The operational definition of this variable for this st

Category: Philosophy - I