Black-White Wage Differentials Among College-Educated Workers: The Effects of Field of Study and Socioeconomic Background.

We use the National Survey of College Graduates to estimate black-white wage differences after controlling for the major field of study of the highest degree obtained. Our multivariate statistical models also control for parental education and rural origins. The results for women indicate that, after controlling for these variables, the net effect for being African American is close to zero and not statistically significant. For men, however, the wage gap between African Americans and whites persists. Relative to conventional statistical models that control for the highest level of schooling completed and other basic demographic characteristics, about one-third of the black-white wage gap is explained by field of study and socioeconomic background. More specifically, the latter results indicate that, among college-educated workers, the wages of African American men are still about 13% lower than comparable white men. The implications of these results for understanding the nexus of race, gender, inequality, and education are considered. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]