Ethnic Gap Research Articles

Linkage error and ethnicity information source affect estimates of ethnic disparities in non-communicable disease rates

Objective and ApproachThis study examined the impact of two sources of bias on differences in ethnic disparities in non-communicable disease rates in New Zealand (NZ). Data were sourced from Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a collection of deidentified whole-population administrative (eg, health, justice, housing) and survey datasets (eg, NZ Census) linked at the individual level using probabilistic linkage procedures. Linking several datasets reduces the size of the population available for study because not all individuals can be linked. In addition, there are several sources of ethnicity information that may disagree with each other. We will illustrate the impact of population loss due to linkage and ethnicity data source on Māori-European gaps in lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. ResultsOur results showed that the choice of ethnicity information source and the population used had an impact on the size of ethnic disparities in lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. For lung cancer the age standardised rate ratio for Māori:European ranged from 2.88 to 3.21, and for CVD 1.70 to 1.87. Population loss and ethnicity data source each had independent effects on the size of ethnic differences. ConclusionsDifferent combinations of population and ethnicity information source produced different estimates of ethnic gaps in lung cancer and CVD prevalence. Population and source of ethnicity data both had independent effects on the size of ethnic differences. ImplicationsComparisons of ethnic differences in disease prevalence between studies, or over time, may be misleading if they do not use the same population and ethnicity data source.

Addressing the Ethnicity Gap in Catechol O-Methyl Transferase Inhibitor Trials in Parkinson's Disease: A Review of Available Global Data.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors (COMT-Is) have significantly improved the quality of life and symptom management for those at advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease (PD). Given that PD is one of the fastest-growing neurodegenerative diseases worldwide, there is a need to establish a clear framework for the systematic distribution of COMT-Is, considering inter-individual and intra-individual variations in patient response. One major barrier to this is the underrepresentation of ethnic minority participants in clinical trials investigating COMT-Is. To investigate this, we performed a narrative review. We searched PubMed for clinical trials investigating COMT-Is in patients with PD and examined the ethnic diversity of cohorts. A total of 63 articles were identified, with 34 trials found to match our inclusion criteria. Among the 34 trials meeting our inclusion criteria, only 8 reported participants' ethnic backgrounds. Our findings reveal a consistent underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups in trials investigating COMT-Is in PD cohorts-a trend that reflects broader concerns across clinical research. In this review, we explore potential reasons for the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in clinical trials and propose strategies to address this issue.

Research on teachers of colour and minoritised teachers in majoritarian education systems: A scoping review of the literature in the last two decades

AbstractThe world map is changing due to waves of immigration, population and demographic changes in mainland Europe and North America. There is a growing need for a more diverse teacher workforce to close the racial and ethnic gap between students and teachers in populations with high diversity. The scholarship discussing integration challenges facing teachers of colour and minority teachers in majoritarian education systems has yet to be exhaustively analysed and synthesised. Moreover, the literature remains fragmented despite numerous studies emphasising the significance of supporting teachers of colour and minority teachers to ensure equity and inclusiveness in majoritarian education systems to better represent the student body. This study reviews the literature through a bibliometric analysis of 387 peer‐reviewed papers on this topic published between 2000 and 2024, followed by a synthesis of the top‐cited papers. First, we emphasised the importance of researching the integration of minority teachers and teachers of colour to understand their contribution to students' thriving and the transformation of education systems towards diversity and inclusion. The quantitative analysis is followed by a systematic qualitative synthesis of the top 18 cited papers. The results highlighted that most research on minority teachers and teachers of colour is from the United States and the United Kingdom. They also highlighted the necessity of revisiting curriculums and enhancing relationships with children to raise awareness about issues of systemic racism, cultural responsiveness and deeper inclusion. Recommendations emphasise addressing systemic racism and enhancing cultural responsiveness. These findings can guide future research, policies and practices to support minority teachers' integration and better represent student diversity. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThe world map is changing due to waves of immigration, population shift, and demographic changes, highlighting the growing need for a more diverse teaching workforce to close the racial and ethnic gaps between students and teachers in highly diverse populations. However, the scholarship discussing the integration challenges faced by teachers of colour and minority teachers in majoritarian education systems remains fragmented and has yet to be exhaustively analysed and synthesised. Therefore, this paper presents a mixed‐methods systematic review of recent international evidence on the integration of minority teachers and teachers of colour in majoritarian education systems worldwide.Why the new findings matterThis research contributes to further insights in the scholarship foci, including identifying several research gaps related to the integration of teachers of colour and minority teachers. Our findings can inform future policies by enhancing understanding of the unique needs and challenges faced by minoritised teachers within various political, social and educational contexts. This knowledge can guide the training, recruitment, mentoring and retention of minority teachers. Additionally, further comparative research on this topic is necessary to enrich knowledge and contribute to diverse models for preparing, recruiting and retaining teachers of colour, thereby enhancing diversity in schools and fostering the success of minority students. Therefore, this study not only enriches our understanding of the current state of research but also sets the stage for future inquiries that could inform more nuanced and effective educational policies and practices worldwide.Implications for educational researchers and policy makersOur research findings offer valuable insights for scholars, policy makers, superintendents and school principals who are committed to conducting future empirical research, systematic reviews or implementing policies for the equitable inclusion of minoritised teachers in majoritarian education systems. These insights aim to promote deep diversity and representation. Key takeaways include: This systematic review identifies a research gap concerning the integration of teachers of colour and minority teachers. Addressing this gap involves understanding their unique needs and challenges within various political, social and educational contexts. There is a need for further comparative research on this topic to enhance knowledge and contribute to developing varied models for preparing, recruiting and retaining teachers of colour, thereby improving diversity in schools and supporting the success of minority students. Future policy design and implementation at both the district and school levels should focus on the training, recruitment, mentoring and retention of minority teachers. This includes identifying positive ecological dynamics at both district and school levels that support the integration of minority teachers and teachers of colour. In today‘s era of digital literacy and artificial intelligence (AI), we recommend researching the applicability, usage and impact of AI programs in enhancing equitable hiring processes. This research should explore how AI can be used to detect early warning signs of exclusion or marginalisation that may contribute to turnover among minority teachers, and how it can facilitate supportive interventions.

The experiences of minority language users in health and social care research: A systematic review.

The planning and management of health policy is directly linked to evidence-based research. To obtain the most rigorous results in research it is important to have a representative sample. However, ethnic minorities are often not accounted for in research. Migration, equality, and diversity issues are important priorities which need to be considered by researchers. The aim of this systematic review (SR) is to explore the literature examining the experiences of minority language users in Health and Social Care Research (HSCR). A SR of the literature was conducted. SPIDER framework and Cochrane principles were utilised to conduct the review. Five databases were searched, yielding 5311 papers initially. A SR protocol was developed and published in PROSPERO: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020225114analysis. Following the title and abstract review by two reviewers, 74 papers were included, and a narrative account was provided. Six themes were identified: 1. Disparities in healthcare; 2. Maternal health; 3. Mental health; 4. Methodology in health research; 5. Migrant and minority healthcare; 6. Racial and ethnic gaps in healthcare. Results showed that language barriers (including language proficiency) and cultural barriers still exist in terms of recruitment, possibly effecting the validity of the results. Several papers acknowledged language barriers but did not act to reduce them. Despite research highlighting cultures over the past 40years, there is a need for this to be acknowledged and embedded in the research process. We propose that future research should include details of languages spoken so readers can understand the sample composition to be able to interpret the results in the best way, recognising the significance of culture and language. If language is not considered as a significant aspect of research, the findings of the research cannot be rigorous and therefore the validity is compromised.

A matter of time? Gender and ethnic inequality in the academic publishing careers of Dutch Ph.D.s

Abstract Women and ethnic minorities underpopulate influential academic positions, even though these groups are increasingly represented at the doctorate level. Does this imply that gender and ethnic gaps in academic careers are closing? Prior studies on gender inequality in academia predominantly focus on single academic fields or restricted time periods. Longitudinal descriptions of ethnic inequality are even more rare. Using a novel data set of a nearly complete population of doctorates (N = 95,130) from Dutch universities across all academic fields between 1990 and 2021, and their publications, we extend descriptions on gender and ethnic inequality in academic publication careers in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we assess trends in inequality over approximately 30 years without focusing on established academics. We find that while women are as likely as men to start an academic publishing career after obtaining a doctorate, their careers are shorter. Ethnic minority scholars are less likely to start an academic career after their doctorate, and when they do, they stop sooner than ethnic majority researchers. We do not observe a trend towards more equality in academic publishing careers. In conclusion, efforts to increase diversity in Dutch academia have not yet paid off, and gender and ethnic parity are likely not just a matter of time.

Double negative effects on the wages of ethnic minority women: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Using data from the Chinese Household Income Project surveys of 2002, 2013, and 2018 and employing decomposition methods, this study is the first to examine the impact of the double negative effect on the wages of ethnic minority women in urban China. Three key conclusions emerge. First, the results indicate the presence of a double negative effect, with the gender wage gap effect being more pronounced than the ethnicity wage gap effect. This suggests that discrimination against women is the primary factor contributing to the formation of the wage gaps. Second, the decomposition results on wage distribution suggest that the return effect on both ethnicity and gender wage gaps is greater for the high-wage group than for the low- and medium-wage groups, suggesting workplace discrimination may be much more severe for the high-wage group. Third, the wage gaps and determinants of their formation differ by heterogenous ethnic minority groups.

Stereotyping and ethnicity gaps in teacher assigned grades

We explore the contribution of stereotyping to attainment gaps between pupils from different ethnic groups when grades are assigned by teachers. We exploit a change in assessment methods in England to compare grades based on teacher predictions to grades received through blindly marked examinations. When grades are assigned by teachers, ethnic minority pupils receive higher grades in maths and lower grades in English relative to White British pupils and compared to when grades are assigned through exams marked by external assessors. We use an extension of the Gelbach decomposition (Gelbach, 2016) to investigate whether the effects can be accounted for by differences in the levels of, or returns to, observed characteristics between years. Accounting for these differences partially reduces the grade gap changes in maths but roughly doubles the magnitude of the grade gap changes in English. Grade gap changes are also not driven by time trends or ceiling effects. We conclude that group-specific stereotyping is a convincing explanation of the results.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Athletic Trainers in National Collegiate Athletic Association Institutions, 2008-2018: A Retrospective Study.

Athletic trainers (ATs) are the most visible members of the sports medicine team and are responsible for the health and well-being of student-athletes. However, the representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) ATs in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions has not been studied. To quantify the representation of BIPOC ATs in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions. Cross-sectional study. National Collegiate Athletic Association's Demographic Database. Team athletic personnel at NCAA member institutions. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in racial and ethnic frequencies across division, calendar year, and gender. Linear regression models were calculated to examine changes in racial and ethnic distributions of head and assistant ATs over time. Most NCAA ATs were categorized as White (88%), which was reflected in both head (90.8%) and assistant (87.2%) AT positions. Black ATs made up the largest proportion of a specific racial or ethnicity group within BIPOC ATs (3.4% of head ATs, 4.6% of assistant ATs), with the next most prevalent being Hispanic (2.8% of head ATs, 3.9% of assistant ATs). Historically Black Colleges and Universities showed higher proportions of BIPOC ATs in both the head and assistant categories than non-historically Black institutions. Division I schools had the greatest AT racial or ethnicity diversity in comparison with Divisions II and III (P < .0001). In our linear regression models, we found increases in many of the racial or ethnic categories for both head and assistant ATs. We demonstrated that BIPOC ATs represented a small proportion of the ATs currently working at NCAA member institutions. Although BIPOC ATs have increased over the past 10 years, a large racial and ethnic discordance gap still exists between student-athletes and the ATs caring for them.

Augmenting Human Decision-Making in K-12 Education: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Assisting the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers of Color for Enhanced Diversity and Inclusivity

ABSTRACT There is a growing need for a more diverse teacher workforce in the United States to close the racial and ethnic gap between students and teachers. Due to the significant gap in the literature and the practical relevance of the topic, we propose a conceptual framework to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to address inequities in recruiting, hiring, and retention of Teachers of Color (ToCs) in K-12 education. The model aims to increase access, opportunity, and support for ToCs across their careers using data-driven AI systems. It assists human decision-makers who play the central role in recruitment, hiring, and retention processes.

Ethnic minority underachievement in UK higher education: an analysis of nationally representative data provides little support for the intersectionality thesis

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the intersectionality thesis, which suggests that the interaction of ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status significantly affects achievement in UK higher education. The study used a sample of 135,699 students from the Graduate Outcomes survey for the 2018/19 cohort, the last to leave higher education before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conditioning on a rich set of background characteristics, results from a series of regressions indicated that some interactions are statistically significant predictors of obtaining a good degree. However, the estimated size of these interaction effects, as estimated using marginal effects, appeared to be negligible. Robustness checks included consideration of selection on observables using Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA), which confirmed the main results’ robustness. Overall, the findings suggest that the data do not support the intersectionality thesis and that markers of disadvantage, when combined, do not have an effect on educational outcomes that is over and above that of the single factors in isolation. These results could have implications for recent policies introduced in England to close ethnic achievement gaps in higher education by 2038. However, the findings should be treated with some caution due to the ethnic categories used in the analysis and the potential bias from omitted and unobserved variables that may lead to an underestimation of ethnic penalties.

Student Debt Relief and Racial Wealth Gaps

The Biden-Harris Administration released a plan to cancel federal student loans for 43 million borrowers on August 24, 2022. While the Supreme Court struck down the Biden-Harris student debt relief plan on June 30, 2023, the White House is now planning to use the Higher Education Act of 1965, a federal law that governs the student loan program, to bring about relief for student borrowers. This article estimates the potential impact of broad-based student debt relief on racial and ethnic wealth gaps. On average, federal student debt potentially eligible for relief explains 3 percent of the White-Black wealth gaps, suggesting that broad-based student debt relief could significantly mitigate racial wealth inequities.

Bias in prosecutorial decision making: Bridging focal concerns & group threat

PurposeTwo dominant theoretical approaches used to explain racial and ethnic disparities in criminal justice outcomes are focal concerns and group threat. This study tests hypotheses about disparities in prosecutors' indictment decisions drawn from these theories, as well as the liberation hypothesis. MethodsPropensity score matching is used to examine charging disparities between Arabs and Jews suspected of different property crimes in the Jerusalem district court from 2007 to 2018. ResultsHypotheses drawn from each of these perspectives are not supported. The pattern of disparities across different crime types is consistent with an explanation that bridges insights from focal concerns and group threat perspectives. ConclusionsOur study emphasizes the importance of the broader social context of the offense in understanding the threat perceptions tied to specific crimes and explaining ethnic gaps in prosecutorial decision making.

Abstract MP36: Evaluation of Race and Ethnicity and Pharmacy Dispensing of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Objectives: To evaluate pharmacy dispensing of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors (SGLT2i) and Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists (GLP1-RA) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) over time and by race and ethnicity. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients (≥18 years) with T2D using 2014-2022 electronic health record data from 6 large US care delivery systems. Cohort entry was at earliest pharmacy dispensing of any T2D medication. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association between pharmacy dispensing of SGLT2i and GLP1-RA and race and ethnicity, adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, clinical and demographic characteristics at baseline. Results: Our cohort included 681,823 patients (median [IQR] age 60 [51,69]; 46.4% female; 16.6% Asian, 10.5% Black or African American, 1.4% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (HPI), 31% Hispanic, 3.8% Multi-racial or Other/Unknown, 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), and 36.4% White). Patients were followed for a median [IQR] of 6 years [3,9]. The age, sex, and site adjusted rate of annual pharmacy dispensing of SGLT2i increased from 0.1% to 12.2% between 2014 and 2022 (Figure 1A) and increased from 0.3% to 3.8% for GLP1-RA (Figure 1B). In the fully adjusted models, SGLT2i dispensing was lower for AI/AN (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.93), Black or African American (OR 0.89, 0.86-0.92) and Hispanic (OR 0.87, 0.85-0.89) compared to White adults. GLP1-RA dispensing was lower for AI/AN (OR 0.79, 0.63-0.97), Asian (OR 0.50, 0.48-0.52), Black or African American (OR 0.86, 0.83-0.90), HPI (OR 0.51, 0.46-0.57), Hispanic (OR 0.69, 0.66-0.71), and Multi-racial or Other/Unknown (OR 0.78, 0.73-0.83) compared to White adults. Conclusions: Pharmacy dispensing of SGLT2i, and GLP1-RA medications was lower in patients with T2D from minority groups compared to White adults in 6 US large care delivery systems. This suggests the need for equitable interventions to narrow the race and ethnicity gap in the use of these drugs for cardiovascular outcomes in the US.

Do wages underestimate the inequality in workers' rewards? The joint distribution of job quality and wages across occupations

AbstractInformation on both wages and job quality is needed in order to understand the occupational dispersion of wellbeing. We analyse subjective wellbeing in a large UK sample to construct a measure of ‘overall reward’, the sum of wages and the value of job quality, in 90 different occupations. If only wages are included, then labour market inequality is underestimated: the dispersion of overall rewards is one‐third larger than the dispersion of wages. Our findings are similar, and stronger, in data on US workers. We find a positive correlation between job quality and wages in all specifications, both between individuals in the cross‐section and within individuals in panel data. The gender and ethnic gaps in the labour market are larger than those in wages alone, and the overall rewards to education on the labour market are underestimated by earnings differentials alone.

Rational Dialogues and Its Constructive Social-Cultural Functions

One of the tools that human civilizations use today to understand each other and resolve misunderstandings is dialogue. Dialogue can reduce social distances and bridge human and cultural gaps. In this research, the social and path-opening functions of dialogue as a bridge between social, political and cultural groups have been discussed. Dialogue is a dynamic process, which has two aspects of collective and social nature. Also, with the logic of dialogue and the method of conversation, it is possible to create a bridge over social, political and ethnic gaps and connect people and groups together. The purpose of writing this article is to explain and describe the functions of dialogue, whether it is possible to fill the social, gender, cultural and cognitive gaps in a society with this method. Today's democratic political systems use dialogue as a communication and cognitive bridge between themselves and the nations. Because there are many similarities between bridge and dialogue, which are also discussed in this article. Due to the fact that dialogue has a collective nature and gathering character, this research with a survey method seeks to know the importance, position and role of dialogue in reducing conflicts in social and cultural relationships. The question is, can this collective character and collection of dialogue prevent the separation and division of people and social groups and reduce misunderstandings towards each other. In addition to the theoretical part of this article, a descriptive-analytical method has been used by distributing the questionnaire. The statistical population of Badakhshan University is considered. The findings of this research indicate that dialogue is one of the appropriate ways to connect social division in a society. Based on the findings, dialogue is like a bridge, which can fill and connect social, linguistic, cultural, ethnic and political gaps. (80%) of the sample population considered the role and importance of dialogue in reducing social misunderstandings, preventing violent social, linguistic and ethnic conflicts.

Gender Disparities in Mathematics Achievement by Ethnic Origin: Evidence from Germany

The gender achievement gap in mathematics, a key component in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, has been widely documented. However, we know little about whether and how the gender gap in math achievement varies by ethnic origin. Using nationally representative data of fourth and ninth graders in Germany, we explore gender and ethnic gaps in math achievement. We measure students’ math achievement using both standardized tests and teacher assessments (i.e., grades). At both educational stages, girls underperform to boys in standardized tests. At comparable levels of competence, no gender differences in math grades are observed in fourth grade, but girls receive better math grades than boys in ninth grade. We also find evidence for ethnic variation in the gender achievement gap at both educational stages. Regarding test scores, the gender difference in math achievement to the disadvantage of girls is larger among Turkish-origin students in fourth grade, and Southern European students in ninth grade. Regarding teacher assessments, we similarly find differences in the gender achievement gap between Turkish-origin and native-born German students. One surprising finding of our study is that, at comparable levels of competence, Turkish-origin boys and MENA students (only in ninth grade) receive better math grades.

Signaling Quality to Bridge the Ethnic and Gender Gap: Evidence for Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs

Signaling Quality to Bridge the Ethnic and Gender Gap: Evidence for Ethnic Women Entrepreneurs

Do Higher Tipped Minimum Wages Reduce Race, Ethnic, or Gender Earnings Gaps for Restaurant Workers?

Do Higher Tipped Minimum Wages Reduce Race, Ethnic, or Gender Earnings Gaps for Restaurant Workers?

Do immigrants know less than natives about cancer screening tests? – the case of Netherlands

IntroductionThe Netherlands was one of the first countries in Europe to offer breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening tests free of charge. Yet, a significant share of migrants in the Netherlands forgo the use of these preventive screenings. Qualitative research suggests, that lack of system knowledge on how the healthcare system operates (e.g. age eligibility of cancer screenings), is one factor contributing to this underuse among migrants. However, little is known about the extent to which migrants differ from natives in their system knowledge and about potential causes of this ethnic gap. The contribution of this study is therefore twofold: First, we examine whether migrants in the Netherlands have lower system knowledge regarding cancer screenings than the natives. Second, we examine which factors explain potential ethnic differences in system knowledge between migrants and non-migrants. MethodUsing the Longitudinal Internet Study for Social Sciences (LISS), we matched newly collected data on system knowledge about healthcare with Health module (wave 14). To assess the difference in system knowledge among migrants and non-migrants, while taking into account potential selection bias, we applied propensity score matching, one-to-one matching procedure with no replacement. We compared first generation non - Western migrants (FNWM) and second-generation non-western migrants (SNWM) with their most similar non-migrants group regarding their knowledge about breast, colorectal, and cervical screening. A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition with non-matched samples was used to examine which factors can explain the differences in system knowledge among migrants and non-migrants. ResultsOur results show that first generation migrants have lower system knowledge about all three screening tests, while second generation migrants differ from non-migrants only with regard to knowledge about breast and colorectal cancer screenings. The ethnic differences found are not caused by personal or social factors such as education or income. ConclusionWe recommend Dutch healthcare policy makes to focus in the strengthen of cancer screening system knowledge among migrant populations in order to increase their participation in these screening programs.

Closing the ethnicity gap in pharmacogenomics

Closing the ethnicity gap in pharmacogenomics