Ethnicity, Family Change, and Labor Force Patterns in Texas, 1980-1990

Abstract

Based on the Current Population Surveys (CPSs)for every other yearfrom 1980 through 1990, changing family and laborforce issues are investigated in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population 15 years of age and older in Texas. Changing patternsfor racial and ethnic minorities in Texas, especially Hispanics, are indicative of important demographic changes that reflect macrolevel trends for the United States as a whole. Female labor force participation, especially among those not married with children, and the availability of multiple earners in different family contexts are important elements of these trends. There appears to be a convergence in labor force patterns among White, Black, and Hispanic women that suggests that in spite of cultural diversity, similar structural situations lead to similar individual circumstances.