A test of the Afro Caribbean model minority hypothesis: Exploring the role of cultural attributes in labor market disparities between African Americans and Afro …

MA Ifatunji - Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 2016 - cambridge.org
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 2016cambridge.org
Throughout the twentieth century, Black immigrants from the Caribbean attained greater
socioeconomic status than African Americans. Although Black immigrants remain an
understudied population, recent studies show that Afro Caribbeans continue to outperform
African Americans in the labor market. Given that these groups share a set of racialized
physical features, some contend that this gap highlights the role of cultural attributes in the
manufacture of Black ethnic and Black-White racial disparities. In this study, I investigate the …
Throughout the twentieth century, Black immigrants from the Caribbean attained greater socioeconomic status than African Americans. Although Black immigrants remain an understudied population, recent studies show that Afro Caribbeans continue to outperform African Americans in the labor market. Given that these groups share a set of racialized physical features, some contend that this gap highlights the role of cultural attributes in the manufacture of Black ethnic and Black-White racial disparities. In this study, I investigate the degree to which cultural attributes associated with a specific form of the model minority hypothesis are responsible for disparities between African Americans and Afro Caribbeans. I use data from the National Survey of American Life in order to test for the relative roles of work ethic, economic autonomy, oppositionality, family structure and function, and racial attitudes in the manufacture of disparate labor market outcomes between African Americans and Afro Caribbeans. I find mixed support for the idea that Afro Caribbeans constitute a model minority vis-à-vis African Americans and that differences in model minority attributes are only partially responsible for these labor market disparities. My findings suggest that racial inequality will not be undone if the racially stigmatized and marginalized simply work harder and complain less about race and racism in the United States.
Cambridge University Press