Understanding Group Disparities

Introduction

• Affirm the humanity and dignity of each person when discussing disparities.
• When discussing group differences, note it is not specific to any one person.
• Remember, you are not your group.
• Distributions discussed should not be specific to any one person.
• All groups have members at both extremes
• Groups may be overwhelmingly similar while at the same time showing important differences at the extremes
• Remember the naturalistic fallacy, the world is a certain way, does not mean it should be that way
• Assume everyone is a good faith actor

Understanding Disparities

• Group inequality is determined by multiple factors.
• Disparate outcomes are never sufficient evidence to conclude that discrimination has occurred.
• Erroneous assumptions can arise when assuming all groups possess identical distributions on important characteristics.
• This applies for any cause
• Historical discrimination was frequent and important
• Current interpersonal discrimination still exists
• For many outcomes, discrimination (by decision-makers) is not a primary problem.
• Further reductions in discrimination are unlikely to yield more equal outcomes.
• In a zero-discrimination world, groups are unlikely to have identical outcomes
• Focus on individual barriers and fundamental causes of group differences for more productivity.
• Forcing equal outcomes across all groups may be counter-productive
• Parity across ethnic, racial, cultural, and ancestral groups in an open society is a contradiction because difference is a fact of groupness.
• Group defined: genes, culture, social affiliations, intermarriage/kinship, shared narrative, parenting practices, and filial piety.

Disparate Outcomes

• Study the occurrence when they appear between differing groups:
  • Comparing such outcomes involves assessing average rates and proportions between groups "a" and"b".
  • Average income of women compared to men
  • Average price of hair care product for women compared to men
  • Incarceration rates for Black Americans compared to White Americans
  • Per capita crime rates of Asian Americans compared to White Americans
  • Proportion of female coders at Google (vs... 51%?)
  • Proportion of Hispanic mathematics professors (vs... 18%?)
• Disparities exist between groups with unequal outcomes relative to populations.
• Arises either from the behavior of decision-makers or from systemic factors.
• The solution could be to promote uniform outcomes through regulations/rules implemented by 3rd parties.
• Every social and political policy has tradeoffs
• Equal results will entail totalitarianism & discrimination
• Freedom of choice can equate to unqual outcomes
• Live with disparities, or live in totalitarianism.
• Groupness means disparity, and if flattened can only be sustained by totalitarian monitoring by Loury (2020)

Understanding Outcomes

• Understanding all outcomes entails looking at four factors:
• Differences in interest
• Ability
• Effort
• Barriers to entry
• Group differences may be due to the same

Cognitive Ability

• Cognitive ability (intelligence) exists, is stable, and can be measured
• There are no "multiple intelligences".
• Tests of cognitive ability are not racially-biased, however comparisons across cultures may not be valid
• Tests of cognitive ability are not just measures of income/SES.
• Cognitive ability is important for major life outcomes:
• Economic mobility
• Work-related outcomes, training ability, job performance
• Is often better than skill-specific tests
• Can apply to high-cognitive ability jobs and other tasks
• Cognitive ability is a top individual predictor for many outcomes

Framing Strategies

• This is the distinction between addressing fundamental causes of group differences vs. fixing measured outcomes.
• Example: Reducing skill gaps in financial knowledge, versus ensuring that Black Americans and white americans are equally employed in financial sector
• Programs that influence outcomes directly:
  • May include unappreciated and unintended negative consequences.
  • Can harm those they are intended to help.
  • Might take away dignity from those they are intended to help.
  • May include policies of overt discrimination.

Labor and Pay

• As supply declines relative to demand, wages increase.
• As the value to the employer increases, wages increase.
• Increased value to the employer can come from experience, efficiency, and better training
• Risk, specialized training as well as restricting the pool or increase cost to worker increase value

Income Disparities

• This relates to the question "Given the same job and employee characteristics, are women paid less than men?”
• Includes consideration of the same job, hours, qualifications and work history.
• Inquiring whether any groups are paid less than another for the same economic performance.