Ascriptive Earnings Gaps in Canada and the U.S.: Intersection of Race, Gender and Nativity

Zheng Wu, University of Victoria
Sharon M. Lee, University of Victoria
Feng Hou, Statistics Canada
Barry Edmonston, University of Victoria

We examine the intersection of race (Chinese/white), gender (male/female), and nativity (native/foreign-born) on earnings gaps in Canada and the U.S. by addressing the following questions: Do racial disparities in earnings vary by gender and nativity in each country? Do native-immigrant disparities in earnings vary by gender in each country? Do race/nativity/gender earnings gaps vary by country? Data are from the restricted 2006 Canadian census and pooled 2005-2006-2007 American Community Surveys. Earnings gaps are largest for immigrant Chinese men in Canada, followed by immigrant Chinese men in the U.S., immigrant Chinese women in Canada, native-born Chinese men in Canada, immigrant Chinese women in the U.S., and native-born Chinese women in Canada. The earnings gaps for native-born Chinese men and women in the U.S. are negligible. Substantial country differences highlight the value of cross-country research in researching ascriptive earnings gaps.