Prejudice
plays a part in many areas of life. A study by a Vanderbilt University
professor of law and economics found legal immigrants in the United States with
a lighter skin tone made more money than those with darker skin. Researcher Joni
Hersch used data from 2,084 men and women who participated in the 2003 New
Immigrant Survey. An interviewer reported the person’s skin color using an
11-point scale where 0 represented the absence of color and 10 represented the
darkest possible skin color. Even when taking into consideration
characteristics that might affect wages (e.g., English language proficiency,
work experience and education), Hersch found immigrants with the lightest skin
color earned, on average, 8 percent to 15 percent more than immigrants with the
darkest skin tone. The effect of skin color even persisted among workers with
the same ethnicity, race, and country of origin. After I considering a whole
series of alternative interpretations and explanations, Hersh was both
surprised and dismayed at how strong and persistent the skin-color effect was.
She also found height played a part in salary. Taller immigrants earned more,
with every inch adding an additional one percent to wages. I am an immigrant
from Canada and barely five feet tall. And my skin color partly depends on how
much I’ve been out in the sun. . .
Hmm-m-m. Part 6 tomorrow.
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