Causal Analysis: Effect of Education and Occupation on Earnings

How are earnings determined? Why do some people earn more than others? Does a better job necessarily mean a better salary? In this module, students will attempt to answer these questions and many others by examining factors such as education and occupation in terms of the role they play in determining earnings. Students will also look at the earnings of whites and compare them to the earnings of blacks, Latinos, and Asians. Another consideration will center on the effect of gender. Finally, students will turn their attention to the age of workers in terms what role it plays in determing earnings. Aside from earnings, students will also take a brief look at poverty with respect to the effect race-ethnicity and family structure has on creating and sustaining it.