{"title":"Race, College Graduation, and Time of Retirement in the United States: A Thirty-Year Longitudinal Cohort of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Amanda Sonnega, Hossein Zare","doi":"10.31586/ojer.2024.1029","DOIUrl":"10.31586/ojer.2024.1029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>College education is typically associated with the ability to work in less physically demanding occupations, allowing for a later retirement age. However, research indicates that highly educated Black individuals often work in more demanding occupations, which affects their retirement age.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>Building on the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) literature, we tested whether the benefit of college education on delaying the time of retirement is weaker for Black compared to White middle-aged and older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which includes a 30-year longitudinal follow-up of a nationally representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Education levels at baseline were categorized as less than college graduate (some high school, GED, high school diploma, or some college) and college graduate. The outcome was the time to retirement, measured from wave 2 to wave 15 (baseline to 30 years later). We graphed survival curves and used independent samples t-tests to assess associations between college graduation and time of retirement, overall and by race.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our analysis included 6,803 White and Black participants who were employed at baseline and followed for up to 30 years. Overall, there was a positive association between college graduation and retirement timing, with individuals with higher education retiring later. However, we found significant racial differences in the retirement age of college graduates, indicating notable racial disparities in the effects of college graduation on retirement timing, disadvantaging Black college-educated individuals. Specifically, among Whites, but not Blacks, college education was associated with later retirement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Consistent with Minorities' Diminished Returns theory, the positive effect of college education on retirement timing are weaker for Black than for White middle-aged and older Americans. To address racial disparities, it is insufficient to focus solely on economic disparities. While closing the educational gap is important, we must also work to equalize labor market experiences for Black and White individuals with similar educational credentials. Structural factors contributing to the diminished returns of college education for Black populations must be addressed to effectively close racial disparities.</p>","PeriodicalId":520018,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of educational research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11376129/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142142308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Black-White Differences in The Effects of Parental Education on College Students' Beliefs about Racial Discrimination.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Hossein Zare","doi":"10.31586/ojer.2024.997","DOIUrl":"10.31586/ojer.2024.997","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Racial discrimination remains a significant issue in the United States, particularly affecting Black individuals. Understanding how beliefs about the persistence of racial discrimination are shaped by race and parental education among college students is crucial for developing strategies to address these inequities.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aims to examine the multiplicative effects of race and parental education on beliefs about the persistence of racial discrimination among Black and White college students. We hypothesize that Black students, particularly those with highly educated parents, will exhibit stronger beliefs in the persistence of racial discrimination as a significant issue compared to their White peers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were drawn from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) study, which includes a national sample of Black and White young adults on college campuses across the United States. We conducted statistical analyses to explore the influence of race and parental education on students' beliefs about racial discrimination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Black students demonstrated stronger beliefs in the persistence of racial discrimination compared to White students. Additionally, students with higher parental education levels were more likely to recognize racial discrimination as a significant issue than those with lower parental education. The impact of parental education on these beliefs was more pronounced for Black students compared to White students.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Black college students, especially those from higher SES backgrounds, exhibit a heightened awareness of racial discrimination due to their lived experiences and educational exposure. High SES Black individuals often face increased visibility and prejudice in predominantly White environments, further reinforcing their beliefs about the persistence of discrimination. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support Black students in higher education and promote awareness of racial discrimination. Policy solutions should include comprehensive anti-discrimination policies, increased diversity and inclusion efforts, and educational curricula that address systemic racism and social justice. The cross-sectional nature of the data limits causality inference, and self-reported measures may be subject to bias. Despite these limitations, the study's large and diverse sample enhances the generalizability of the findings. Race and parental education have multiplicative effects on college students' beliefs about the persistence of racial discrimination. Black students, particularly those from high SES backgrounds, are more likely to perceive racial discrimination as a continuing problem. Addressing these disparities through targeted policies and interventions is essential for creating equitable and inclusive educational environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":520018,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of educational research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11323105/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141984280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Caste-based Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment on Wealth Accumulation in India.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Hossein Zare","doi":"10.31586/ojer.2024.1056","DOIUrl":"10.31586/ojer.2024.1056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Education is widely recognized as a key driver of wealth generation, providing individuals with the opportunity to enhance their socioeconomic status. However, the effectiveness of education in generating wealth varies significantly across different social groups. In the United States, research has shown that Black individuals experience weaker economic returns on education compared to their White counterparts, a phenomenon explained by the theory of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs). Although MDRs have been documented in various countries, their relevance to caste-based disparities in India remains unexplored.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to investigate the caste-based diminished returns of education on wealth in India. We hypothesize that the returns on educational attainment, in terms of wealth generation, will be weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes (SCs) compared to those from higher castes, using data from the India Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was a cross-sectional analysis of DHS -2019/2021 data from India, examining the relationship between educational attainment and wealth across different caste groups (scheduled castes and non-scheduled castes). Multivariate regression models will be employed to assess the interaction between caste and education in predicting wealth outcomes, controlling for relevant covariates such as age, gender, and region.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study is expected to find that the returns on education, in terms of wealth, are significantly weaker for individuals from Scheduled Castes compared to those from higher castes. This would indicate that caste-based discrimination continues to hinder the economic progress of Scheduled Castes, even when they achieve similar levels of education as their upper-caste counterparts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study will extend the MDR framework to the Indian context, demonstrating that caste-based disparities result in diminished returns on education for wealth generation. This study underscores the need for targeted policies that address the specific barriers faced by Scheduled Castes in translating educational attainment into economic success and highlights the ongoing impact of caste-based discrimination in India.</p>","PeriodicalId":520018,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of educational research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11449120/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142373997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}