Assari Shervin, Zare Hossein, Sonnega Amanda
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
J Rehabil Ther. 2024;6(1):1-11. doi: 10.29245/2767-5122/2024/1.1141. Epub 2024 Mar 12.
Occupational classes play a significant role in influencing both individual and population health, serving as a vital conduit through which higher education can lead to better health outcomes. However, the pathway from education to corresponding occupational classes does not apply uniformly across different racial and ethnic groups, hindered by factors such as social stratification, labor market discrimination, and job segregation.
This study seeks to investigate the relationship between educational attainment and occupational classes among Black, Latino, and White middle-aged and older adults, with a focus on their transition into retirement.
Using cross-sectional data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this research examines the impact of race/ethnicity, educational attainment, occupational classes, and timing of retirement among middle-aged and older adults. The analysis includes a sample of 7,096 individuals identified as White, Black, or Latino. Through logistic regression, we assess the additive and multiplicative effects of race/ethnicity and education on six defined occupational classes: 1. Managerial and specialty operations, 2. Professional Specialty, 3. Sales, 4. Clerical/administrative support, 5. Services, and 6. Manual labor.
Participants were Black (n = 1,143) or White (n =5,953). This included Latino (N =459) or non-Latino (n = 6,634). Our analysis reveals a skewed distribution of Black and Latino adults in manual and service occupations, in stark contrast to White adults who were more commonly found in clerical/administrative and managerial positions. Educational attainment did not equate to similar occupational outcomes across racial groups. Key findings include: Firstly, Black individuals with a college degree or higher were less likely to occupy clerical and administrative positions compared to their White counterparts. Secondly, holding a General Educational Development (GED) credential or some college education was generally linked to reduced likelihood of being in managerial roles; however, this inverse relationship was less evident among Black middle-aged and older adults than White ones. Thirdly, having a GED reduced the chances of working in sales roles, while having a college degree increased such chances. An interaction between race and some college education revealed that the impact of some college education on sales roles was more significant for Black adults than for White ones. We did not observe any interaction between ethnicity (Latino) and educational attainment on occupational classes. Given the stability of occupational classes, these findings could also apply to the last occupation held prior to retirement.
This study highlights significant racial disparities in occupational classes among individuals with comparable levels of education, underscoring the profound implications for health and wellbeing disparities. Future research should explore strategies to alleviate labor market discrimination and job segregation as ways to close these occupational gaps. Additionally, the influence of social stratification, job segregation, and historical legacies, such as the repercussions of the Jim Crow era, on these disparities merits further investigation. Addressing these issues is crucial for enhancing the health and wellbeing of all populations.
职业类别在影响个人和群体健康方面发挥着重要作用，是高等教育能够带来更好健康结果的重要渠道。然而，从教育到相应职业类别的途径在不同种族和族裔群体中并不统一适用，受到社会分层、劳动力市场歧视和职业隔离等因素的阻碍。
本研究旨在调查黑人、拉丁裔和白人中年及老年成年人的教育程度与职业类别之间的关系，重点关注他们向退休的过渡。
利用健康与退休研究（HRS）的横断面数据，本研究考察了种族/族裔、教育程度、职业类别以及中年及老年成年人退休时间的影响。分析包括7096名被确定为白人、黑人或拉丁裔的个体样本。通过逻辑回归，我们评估种族/族裔和教育对六个定义的职业类别的加性和乘性效应：1. 管理和专业运营，2. 专业专业，3. 销售，4. 文书/行政支持，5. 服务，6. 体力劳动。
参与者为黑人（n = 1143）或白人（n = 5953）。这包括拉丁裔（N = 459）或非拉丁裔（n = 6634）。我们的分析揭示了黑人和拉丁裔成年人在体力和服务职业中的分布不均衡，这与更常见于文书/行政和管理职位的白人成年人形成鲜明对比。不同种族群体的教育程度并不等同于相似的职业结果。主要发现包括：首先，拥有大学学位或更高学历的黑人个体相比白人同行，担任文书和行政职位的可能性较小。其次，持有普通教育发展（GED）证书或接受过一些大学教育通常与担任管理角色的可能性降低有关；然而，这种反比关系在黑人中年及老年成年人中不如白人明显。第三，拥有GED降低了从事销售工作的机会，而拥有大学学位则增加了这种机会。种族与一些大学教育之间的相互作用表明，一些大学教育对销售角色的影响对黑人成年人比对白人成年人更显著。我们没有观察到族裔（拉丁裔）与教育程度在职业类别上的任何相互作用。鉴于职业类别的稳定性，这些发现也可能适用于退休前担任的最后一份职业。
本研究突出了教育程度相当的个体在职业类别上存在的显著种族差异，强调了对健康和福祉差异的深远影响。未来的研究应探索减轻劳动力市场歧视和职业隔离的策略，以此缩小这些职业差距。此外，社会分层、职业隔离以及历史遗留问题，如吉姆·克劳时代的影响，对这些差异的影响值得进一步研究。解决这些问题对于提高所有人群的健康和福祉至关重要。
