diversitydatakids.org researchers received the Lawrence R. Klein Award for their paper, "Job characteristics among working parents: Differences by race, ethnicity, and nativity." This award honors the best articles appearing in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Monthly Labor Review.
The article uses 2007–2011 Annual Social and Economic Supplement Current Population Survey data to determine minority and/or foreign-born parents’ access to jobs that allow them to invest in their children’s development. Specifically, it looks at whether parents’ jobs offer a basic economic security wage, health insurance coverage and pension plan, because these job characteristics may influence the health, wellbeing and resources of working families and children.
The analysis reveals that foreign-born, Hispanic and black working parents are significantly more likely than U.S.-born, white or Asian working parents to have a job that pays below the basic economic security wage, does not offer health insurance and does not offer a pension plan. Foreign-born Hispanic parents in particular are shown to be significantly disadvantaged in the labor market. Findings suggest that without changes to increase parents’ access to jobs with higher wages and benefits, disparities in children’s wellbeing and development by race and ethnicity and nativity will likely persist.
