Full Citation

Title: MISSISSIPPI IS AMERICA: How Racism and Sexism Sustain a Two-Tiered Labor Market in the US and Constrict the Economic Power of Workers in Mississippi and Beyond

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2020

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the fragility of the US economy and the ever-present financial instability of American workers. Prior to this health and economic crisis, headline economic measures including historically low unemployment rates masked the reality for millions of working people who held jobs but suffered from persistently low wages and inadequate access to fundamental benefits, such as sick time or paid family leave. Viewing Mississippi as a vital case study, this report explores the perpetual economic hardship faced by low-wage workers across the state and within selected regions. Because the Mississippi economy mirrors the national economy in key ways, including the fact that many of its industries depend on a low-wage workforce, this report demonstrates how Mississippi reflects—and drives—broader trends in the US. This report utilizes labor market data and an occupational crowding analysis to illustrate who is largely excluded from the most-desirable, best-paying occupations and crowded into occupations with the lowest wages and least stability. We show that race and gender determine the types of jobs that Mississippians have access to in the labor market.

Url: https://insightcced.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/INSIGHT_Mississippi-Is-America-brief_3.pdf

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Price, Anne; Bhattacharya, Jhumpa

Publisher: Insight Center

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Gender, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: