Has Discrimination Disappeared? A Response to William Julius Wilson

Abstract

William Julius Wilson, in his book, When Work Disappears, notes that 80% of interviewed Black employers (and 74% of Whites) who provided comments on “job skills, basic skills, work ethic, dependability, attitudes and interpersonal skills” expressed negative views of inner-city Blacks. The author suggests that there are problems in Wilson’s research methodology that may too quickly lead to his notion that inner-city joblessness is far more apt to be the result of “unflattering behaviors” of poor Blacks rather than the persistently discriminatory assumptions and hiring practices of employers. Wilson’s findings are compared with those from the author’s own employer interview study. Only 4 of the 44 employers interviewed felt that Black workers had poorer work ethics and attitudes than Whites. Reasons are presented for the differences, and the article concludes with a brief discussion of the policy implications of these findings.