Industrialization and Racial Inequality in Employment: The Brazilian Example

Abstract

Levels of industrialization and other related factors such as educational level have influenced patterns of racial inequality in occupations in 74 large metropolitan areas in Brazil. Data were obtained from the 1980 census and special tabulations of the census for large cities. Blacks and Browns were grouped into a single non-White racial category. Lieberson and Fossets were the source of a scale used to measure occupational inequality. the highest to the lowest ranking of occupation included managerial/professional occupations intermediate occupations and unskilled blue-collar occupations. Net differences and odds ratios were both used as measures of inequality. The extent of industrialization was measured by the percentage of the total labor force employment in manufacturing industries. Four models were constructed to explain the relationships. The findings showed that Whites were four times more likely than Non-Whites to hold jobs in the highest occupational group. Non-Whites were two times as likely to hold jobs in unskilled blue-collar occupations. 33.5% of Whites and 21.3% of Non-Whites held intermediate occupational positions. Browns tended to have better jobs than Blacks but the largest differences were between Whites and non-Whites. Whites were 25.6% more likely to be in higher occupational groups than non-Whites. The odds of being in managerial/professional jobs were 5.3 times greater for Whites. The odds of holding White collar jobs were 2.9 times greater for Whites. The odds of being in skilled blue collar jobs were 1.6 times greater for Whites. In the South where Whites were a majority the net difference scores indicated greater inequalities. In majority non-White areas the differences were narrower. The average non-White population was 21.5% in majority White areas and 67.0% in majority non-White areas. The odds of Whites completing 12 or more years of schooling was 7.0 times greater in the White South compared to 3.9 times greater in the non-White North. When educational differences were controlled industrialization had a negative effect on inequality and increased inequalities through education.

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