Title: The inheritance of black poverty: It’s all about the men
Headings: The inheritance of black poverty: It’s all about the men
The inheritance of black poverty: It’s all about the men
Black men, stuck in poverty: Chetty’s latest
Black and white Americans, on different starting blocks
Almost half of black youths grew up in the bottom quintile
Share of youths ages 14 to 16 with parents in each income quintile
Gender and race gaps in upward mobility
Black men have low earnings mobility
Share of youths from the bottom quintile who remain in the bottom quintile as adults
Black men and women have low family income mobility
Percentage of youths from the bottom quintile who remain in the bottom quintile of family income as adults
Lower marriage rates aren’t hurting black mobility
Simulating marriage does little to improve mobility for black women
Percentage of youths from the bottom quintile who remain in the bottom quintile of simulated family income
Help black men to help black families

Content: As they conclude, “parental marital status has little impact on intergenerational gaps” (p. 25). In a new paper published today, we examine the same question in a different way. ( See our longer Technical Paper here, and full Results here ). We confirm the stark differences in upward earnings mobility for black men compared to both black women and whites. We also confirm that black women, despite their solid earnings mobility, have very low family income mobility. We then estimate the impact of racial differences in marriage rates by simulating higher marriage rates among black women: like Chetty, we find no significant effects. Black and white Americans, on different starting blocks
Black and white children are born into very different economic circumstances. Almost half of black boys and girls are in households in the bottom fifth of the income distribution, compared to just over one in ten white children: Almost half of black youths grew up in the bottom quintile
Share of youths ages 14 to 16 with parents in each income quintile
Black men White men Black women White women 0% 50% 100% 0% 100%
Bottom quintile Second quintile Middle quintile Fourth quintile Top quintile
There are, then, huge race gaps in the chances of being born to or raised in a poor family—gaps that were scarcely lower among children born in the early 1980s than they were among those born in the years around 1960.