Mexican-Origin Women's Employment Instability

Abstract

This study compares the causes and earnings consequences of employment instability among Mexican-origin women, white women, and white men. Data for the analyses come from the work experience supplement in the March 1995 file of the Current Population Survey, which documents the respondent's yearlong labor force activity. Workers who had one or more spells of unemployment during the year or involuntarily worked part-time during the entire year are said to have experienced employment instability. Using logistic regression, results show that Mexican-origin women with low levels of schooling, immigrants, and those employed in the periphery services sector or extractive sector are highly vulnerable to employment instability. Earnings determination models revealed that employment instability exerts a heavy penalty on Mexican-origin women, compared to their stably employed coethnics, net of human capital endowments and economic sector location.