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  4. May 2011
  5. Does Mestizaje Matter in the US? Economic Stratification of Mexican Immigrants

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

Does Mestizaje Matter in the US? Economic Stratification of Mexican Immigrants

  • Alberto Dávila
  • Marie T. Mora
  • Sue K. Stockly
American Economic Review
vol. 101, no. 3, May 2011
(pp. 593–97)
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Abstract

Using data from the 2003 New Immigrant Survey, this paper examines whether stratification as reflected by skin shade exists among newly legalized Mexican immigrants in the US. While we do not find evidence that skin color directly related to employment probabilities, complexion appeared to play a role in the likelihood of owning a home, having a bank account, and occupational status. As these outcomes partly reflect immigrants' pre-migration experiences, our findings suggest that the social stratification structure in Mexico might be sustained in the US among Mexican-origin populations.

Citation

Dávila, Alberto, Marie T. Mora, and Sue K. Stockly. 2011. "Does Mestizaje Matter in the US? Economic Stratification of Mexican Immigrants." American Economic Review, 101 (3): 593–97. DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.3.593

JEL Classification

  • J15 Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J71 Labor Discrimination
  • Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification