Author : Lisette Marie Garcia
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 178 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (641 download)
Book Synopsis The Hidden Injuries of Racial Employment Discrimination by : Lisette Marie Garcia
Download or read book The Hidden Injuries of Racial Employment Discrimination written by Lisette Marie Garcia and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Work represents a primary sphere of social and economic life wherein stratification arrangements are created and reproduced. Stratification research has made this point, delineating how racial inequality within and across labor markets has resulted in wage, unemployment, and mobility inequalities. Less explicit has been the processes of social closure, and specifically the micro-mediational and interactional dynamics that are ultimately shaping these inequalities. Similarly, research on minority mental health and well-being has documented extensively the relationship between race, discrimination, and mental health. However, research in this tradition has been less successful in identifying the processes that underlie this relationship. Scholars in both traditions have stressed the importance in examining the linkages between discrimination and inequality, however, limitations in available data across research veins precludes their ability to do so. Building on prior research and drawing explicitly from theorizing on social closure, I first, analyzed labor market and occupational variations in racial discrimination and the micro-mediational processes responsible. I then explored the relationship between discrimination across the labor market and occupations, on the psychological well-being of individuals. Few studies to date have examined this relationship and those that have explored the link between discrimination and psychological functioning were limited to the use of perceived discrimination rather than actual instances of discrimination. Drawing from a unique data set of approximately 400 verified workplace discrimination charges filed with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) from 1988 to 2003, my research addresses questions of discriminatory processes, consequences, and variations using statistical, comparative, and qualitative methods. The focus of this study was to elaborate existing stratification research in two important ways -- mechanisms and exploration of atypical outcomes. The primary contribution of this study was to understand the underlying mechanisms that result in persistent inequality in the American labor market. The qualitative immersion shed significant light on how discrimination unfolds and the ways it may manifest distinctly depending on industrial sector and across occupational statuses. Indeed, in certain sectors and across occupations, "poor performance" is the mechanism employers used in discriminating; in others, "misconduct"; and still, in others, covert and discriminatory tactics are prevalent. An additional contribution to stratification research was consideration of a fresh outcome apart from economic rewards. The present study explored the linkages between the mechanisms that underlie racial discrimination in the context of employment and minority well-being. Exploration of the qualitative materials showed how it is likely that discrimination across industrial sectors and occupations shaped mental health outcomes. The literature in this avenue is far less clear about the processes that may be relevant in this relationship therefore this exploratory effort is meant to aid in theory development. The qualitative immersion uncovered certain mechanisms, specifically the role of harassment, which may be central to understanding the link between discrimination and other outcomes such as psychological distress and depression. This is the first study of its kind exploring verified discrimination and consequences that seem to follow.
