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Has Discrimination Disappeared? A Response to William Julius Wilson

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  • Susan Turner Meiklejohn

    (Hunter College of the City University of New York)

Abstract

William Julius Wilson, in his book , When Work Disappears, notes that 80% of interviewed Black employers (and 74% of Whites) who provided comments on “job skills, basic skills, work ethic, dependability, attitudes and interpersonal skills†expressed negative views of inner-city Blacks. The author suggests that there are problems in Wilson’s research methodology that may too quickly lead to his notion that inner-city joblessness is far more apt to be the result of “unflattering behaviors†of poor Blacks rather than the persistently discriminatory assumptions and hiring practices of employers. Wilson’s findings are compared with those from the author’s own employer interview study. Only 4 of the 44 employers interviewed felt that Black workers had poorer work ethics and attitudes than Whites. Reasons are presented for the differences, and the article concludes with a brief discussion of the policy implications of these findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Turner Meiklejohn, 1999. "Has Discrimination Disappeared? A Response to William Julius Wilson," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 13(4), pages 321-338, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:13:y:1999:i:4:p:321-338
    DOI: 10.1177/089124249901300405
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Doeringer, Peter B., 1992. "Turbulence in the American Workplace," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195064612.
    2. Chinhui Juhn, 1992. "Decline of Male Labor Market Participation: The Role of Declining Market Opportunities," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(1), pages 79-121.
    3. James Johnson & Elisa Bienenstock & Jennifer Stoloff, 1995. "An empirical test of the cultural capital hypothesis," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 23(4), pages 7-27, June.
    4. William A. Darity & Patrick L. Mason, 1998. "Evidence on Discrimination in Employment: Codes of Color, Codes of Gender," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 63-90, Spring.
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    Cited by:

    1. Robert P. Giloth, 2000. "Learning from the Field: Economic Growth and Workforce Development in the 1990s," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 14(4), pages 340-359, November.

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