ERIC Number: EJ800747
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0739-9863
EISSN: N/A
Measuring the Wage Costs of Limited English: Issues with Using Interviewer versus Self-Reports in Determining Latino Wages
Hamilton, Darrick; Goldsmith, Arthur H.; Darity, William, Jr.
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, v30 n3 p257-279 2008
Scholars have found that poor English proficiency is negatively associated with wages using self-reported measures. However, these estimates may suffer from misclassification bias. Interviewer ratings are likely to more accurately proxy employer assessment of worker language ability. Using self-reported and interviewer ratings from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, the authors estimate the impact of English proficiency on wages for men (n = 267) and women (n = 178) with Mexican ancestry residing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Use of interviewer proficiency ratings suggests a larger and more gradational language penalty as fluency falls, and women face a stronger penalty than their male counterparts. Moreover, controlling for worker accent and skin shade does little to alter these effects. (Contains 4 tables and 17 notes.)
Descriptors: Salary Wage Differentials, Gender Differences, Employer Attitudes, Metropolitan Areas, Language Aptitude, Employment Interviews, English (Second Language), Language Proficiency, Measures (Individuals), Interviews, Mexican Americans, Urban Areas, Second Language Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A