Unlevel Playing Fields: Understanding Wage Inequality and Discrimination

After all the gains of the civil rights and women’s movements, why are black people and women still faring so poorly when it comes to wages, employment levels, and the distribution of jobs? Unlevel Playing Fields tackles this critical question by presenting two contrasting economic theories — neoclassical and political economy — and showing how each theory explains discrimination and inequality in the labor market. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions and suggested readings. The authors also offer some practical proposals for altering the status quo.