Do jobs with a higher percentage of minorities pay less?

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topbillin1

23-08-2006 09:24:10

thoughts?

KeithA

23-08-2006 10:05:06

Statistically it may appear so, but it would be important to distinguish between correlation and causality.

topbillin1

23-08-2006 10:07:31

what? Colleration.... please explain

CollidgeGraduit

23-08-2006 10:21:03

lol

KeithA

23-08-2006 10:30:57

[quotec5991d82c3="topbillin1"]what? Colleration.... please explain[/quotec5991d82c3]

Correlation is a statistical association between variables. It measures the relationship between two things when one variable changes, what happens to the other?

When facing questions like this one, it's important to remember that correlation--the relationship between two variables--is not the same thing as causality.

Statistically speaking, there may be an inverse relationship between average hourly wages and minorities as a % of the workforce in a given job-type or company. In other words, the higher the percentage of minorities in that job-type or company, the lower the average wages.

So you may be able to say that a job with a high percentage of minorities is likely to pay less than one with a lower percentage of minorities. But you would be overstating things to say that race is the primary [ic5991d82c3]cause[/ic5991d82c3] or determinant of lower wages.

Instead, careful study may show that workers' level of education is the primary determinant of wage. Minorities' socio-economic status might lead to lower average education levels, which in turn would lead to the appearance that race is a determining factor of wages.

But adjusting for levels of educatoin would likely demonstrate that there is a stronger correlation between wages and education than there is between wages and race.

Anyway, this is a long-winded way of saying that you need to be careful not to draw conclusions about what causes what from statistics that only tell part of the story.

Daggoth

23-08-2006 16:41:41

Keith pulled a dmorris.

Rampage575

23-08-2006 16:44:52

i think that joke went over his head )

KeithA

23-08-2006 16:48:05

[quote5a5f6e0cdd="Rampage575"]i think that joke went over his head )[/quote5a5f6e0cdd]

lol, i hadn't considered that asking for an explanation of "colleration" might be a joke.

justinag06

23-08-2006 17:24:19

u forgot the pro sports, and MTV topbillin'