The Functional Substitutability of Blacks and Females in the Labor Market: a Closer Look

The interrelationship between labor market discrimination against black males and white females-as reflected in the respective size distributions of their full-time income-is examined for states in the U. S. Employing previously used data, conclusions opposite those of other researchers are reached. The hypothesis of a simple negative association between the two forms of discrimination is rejected, along with the implication of that association that blacks and females are functional substitutes in a capitalist economy. More adequate measurement and analysis shows that the presumed relationship is largely spurious, and caused primarily by the sexual specificity of labor demand as well as supply.