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The Ethnic Niche as an Economic Pathway for the Dark Skinned

Labor Market Incorporation of Latina/o Workers

University of Texas at El Paso

A significant number of Latina/os are turning to employment in ethnic niches as an alternative to general labor markets. This study places special focus on how skin color segmentation or colorism influences job-market allocation. The hypothesis is that dark-skinned Latina/os are more likely to be employed in ethnically homogeneous jobsites or niches. The author tests the hypothesis using survey logistic regression on a sample of 322 Central American-(Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, and Salvadoran) and Mexican-origin workers utilizing data from the Los Angeles Study of Urban Inequality. The results show that dark-skinned Latina/o workers are more likely to be employed in ethnic niches as opposed to lighter-skinned individuals. It is concluded that skin color stratifies Latina/o workers into distinct markets that can have implications for their socioeconomic incorporation.

Key Words: coethnic • colorism • labor • niches • socioeconomic status • stratification

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 30, No. 3, 280-298 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0739986308320475


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