Monday, September 18, 2017

The US Black/White Divide

Despite a supposedly more enlightened and inclusive society than we saw in the 1970s, the economic situation in black households has worsened

The wage gap is growing between black and white Americans, and today, the gap is the widest it's been in 40 years. 

In 1979, the average black man in America earned about 80% of the average white man ($15 versus $19 per hour). By 2016, this gap had grown such that the average black male worker earned just 70% of the hourly wage of the average white male worker.

In 1979, the average black woman earned about 95% of the average white woman. But nearly continuous divergence in earnings since that time has opened a more sizable gap; in 2016, the average black woman earned about 82% of what the average white woman earned.

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