Race and Ethnicity in the Economics Profession: Problems and Remedies

Abstract

Blacks, Latinx, and Native Americans are severely underrepresented in economics. They report hostility, discrimination, bias, and feeling invisible and ignored. They experience discrimination in their earnings and feel unfairly treated. Economic theory and the typical curriculum fail to consider the lives and experiences of underrepresented minorities. The lack of underrepresented minorities perpetuates when students fail to connect to mentors and role models whom they feel they may be able to communicate with and relate to. Structural theories of inequality explain these patterns; gendered racism and stereotype bias explain the variation among racial and ethnic groups. These problems and others are discussed, as well as solutions to increase racial diversity in the economics profession.