Racial Residential Segregation Pros And Cons

Theoretical Framework In this article, Dr. Williams and Dr. Collins analyze racial residential segregation as a cause for racial disparities in health in the US. One way that they specifically investigate this residential segregation is as it relates to racial differences in socioeconomic status (SES). The differences in SES between racial groups limits accessibility to education and employment which dictate socioeconomic mobility specifically for African Americans/blacks in comparison to whites in the US. They also analyze the social and physical environment that African Americans in the US are segregated in, and how the environment plays a role in the health of these individuals.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to propose a remedy

This is true among various indicators of health status such as the higher infant mortality rate among blacks.

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1968 made discrimination in the sale or rental of housing units illegal in the United States, this discrimination is still prevalent in the US. This discrimination results in the perpetuation of racial segregation, quantified by the national index of dissimilarity, which in 2000 ranked the US at .66, meaning 66% of blacks would have to move to eliminate segregation. Metropolitan areas contain the majority of the black population, trapping them in urban poverty.

SES is a fundamental cause of social inequalities in health and it is caused by racial segregation. Blacks are overwhelmingly segregated in low income areas that restrict their socioeconomic mobility by limiting educational and employment opportunities. This works as a cycle that institutionally prevents blacks from rising in SES and moving to areas with better educational and employment

For example, Census records are limited by multiple choice answers which might provide an answer that best represents someone’s answer as well as self reporting which likely skewed results because response is voluntary and therefore subject to response bias. Additionally, the studies referenced vary greatly in date published; the oldest being published in 1944 and the newest being published in 2001. This is cause for concern because the older studies may have been based upon flawed, and now outdated, methodology because methodology has evolved much since the 1940’s. Nevertheless, all the studies are published, peer-reviewed, and support each other’s and the author’s claim that there is a strong negative correlation between race, SES, health status and that racial segregation is at the core of these