Linguistic occupation segregation along the U.S.–Mexico border: using the index of dissimilarity to measure inequality in employment among monolingual speakers and Spanish–English bilinguals
-
Maria Cristina Morales
Abstract
The U.S.–Mexico border is a Latina/o concentrated region and Spanish–English bilingual society. While there are some indications of an economic advantage associated with Spanish–English bilingualism in regions with over-representations of Spanish-origin speakers, the degree of occupational linguistic segregation in such ethno-linguistic context is unknown. Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) for 2018, this study calculates the occupational dissimilarity index (D) among monolingual-Spanish speakers, Spanish–English bilinguals, and monolingual-English speakers for cities located along the Texas–Mexico border and in the Houston metropolis. Findings show that the highest occupational segregation is found between monolingual-Spanish speakers and both monolingual-English and Spanish–English bilinguals. This indicates that the monolingual-Spanish workforce is occupationally segregated from those with fluent command of English. The lowest occupation dissimilarity indices are between Spanish–English bilinguals and monolingual-English speakers, indicating that these groups are approaching similar occupational placements. I conclude by highlighting an occupational advantage to Spanish–English bilingualism, but only in border cities characterised by concentrations of Spanish-origin speakers. In the non-border city of Houston, being Spanish–English bilingual is not enough to experience occupational upward mobility.
Funding source: Leverhulme Trust
Award Identifier / Grant number: SG162279
Funding source: British Academy
Award Identifier / Grant number: SG162279
Appendix A: Public-use micro-data areas in the study, ACS-PUMS 2018
| City | PUMA area |
|---|---|
| El Paso City | El Paso City (East) |
| El Paso City (Southeast) | |
| El Paso City (Central) | |
| El Paso City (North) | |
| El Paso City (Northwest) | |
| Laredo City | South Texas Development Council (North)—Webb County—Laredo City (Central) |
| South Texas Development Council (North & East)—Webb County—Laredo City (Central) | |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission City | Hidalgo County (North Central)—Edinburg City |
| Hidalgo County (Central)—McAllen City | |
| Hidalgo County (Southwest)—Mission City | |
| Houston City | Houston City (North Central) |
| Houston City (East Central) | |
| Houston City (South Central) | |
| Houston City (West Central) | |
| Houston City (Northeast) | |
| Houston City (North) & Aldine | |
| Houston City (North) South of Aldine | |
| Houston City (North) West of Aldine | |
| Houston City (Northwest) | |
| Houston City (West) | |
| Houston City (Southwest) | |
| Houston City (South) | |
| Houston City (Southeast) | |
| Harris County (Northeast)–Houston City (Far Northeast) | |
| Harris County (North)–Houston City (North) | |
| Harris County (West)–Houston City (West) | |
| Houston City (West)–South of I-10 & West of TX-6 | |
| Houston City (West)–East of TX-6 and West Beltway TX-8 | |
| Houston City (West)–Westpark Tollway | |
| Houston City (Southwest)–East of TX-6 and West Beltway TX-8 |
Appendix B: Sample size of workforce in selected linguistic categories by city, sample sizes
| Monolingual English (N) | Monolingual Spanish (N) | Spanish–English Bilingual (N)* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | 26,694 | 13,369 | 1,330,002 |
| Laredo | 4,243 | 13,149 | 69,564 |
| McAllen | 11,277 | 16,883 | 100,038 |
| Brownsville | 4,920 | 10,949 | 68,896 |
| Houston | 53,056 | 76,965 | 228,072 |
Source: American Community Survey one year estimates 2018.
Appendix C: Demographic characteristics
| Pop. size | % Latina/o | % Non-Latina/o Whitea | |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | 844,723 | 82.9 | 11.6 |
| Laredo | 275,910 | 95.5 | * |
| McAllen | 865,939 | 92.4 | 6.0 |
| Brownsville | 423,908 | 89.8 | * |
| Houston | 6,997,384 | 37.6 | 35.5 |
Source: American Community Survey 1 year estimates 2018. aWhite alone, not multi-racial. *Estimates not available due to small sample sizes.
Appendix D: Gross domestic product (GDP) (thousands of current dollars), 2018
| All industry total | Top three industries | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | $32,254,478 | Private Service ($18,584,774) | Government ($9,245,458) | Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental & Leasing ($5,012,199) |
| Laredo | $11,265,029 | Private Service ($6,075,344) | Private Good Producing ($3,112,912) | Natural Resources & Mining ($2,787,377) |
| McAllen | 21,465,117 | Private Service ($14,268,746) | Government ($4,875,653) | Trade ($3,354,361) |
| Brownsville | 11,378,276 | Private Service ($1,983,021) | Government ($2,505,168) | Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental & Leasing ($1,983,021) |
| Houston | 498,007,948 | Manufacturing ($86,505.887) | Trade ($83,062,383) | Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental & Leasing ($74,874,477) |
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2018.
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© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The language division of labour across occupations: an introduction
- Is there a bilingual advantage? the effects of non-English language skills on occupational attainment among immigrants and natives
- Is automation changing the translation profession?
- Communication and language skills pay off, but not everybody needs them
- Linguistic occupation segregation along the U.S.–Mexico border: using the index of dissimilarity to measure inequality in employment among monolingual speakers and Spanish–English bilinguals
- Discussion
- The linguistic division of labour across occupations: moving the discussion on
- Book Review
- Antoni Vidal-Suñe and Amado Alarcón Alarcón: Ocupaciones y Lenguaje: Indicadores y análisis de competencias lingüísticas en el ámbito laboral
- Varia
- Individual variation in attitudes towards Chinese-English code-switching
- Multilingualism among the elderly Chinese in Singapore: an oral account
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- The language division of labour across occupations: an introduction
- Is there a bilingual advantage? the effects of non-English language skills on occupational attainment among immigrants and natives
- Is automation changing the translation profession?
- Communication and language skills pay off, but not everybody needs them
- Linguistic occupation segregation along the U.S.–Mexico border: using the index of dissimilarity to measure inequality in employment among monolingual speakers and Spanish–English bilinguals
- Discussion
- The linguistic division of labour across occupations: moving the discussion on
- Book Review
- Antoni Vidal-Suñe and Amado Alarcón Alarcón: Ocupaciones y Lenguaje: Indicadores y análisis de competencias lingüísticas en el ámbito laboral
- Varia
- Individual variation in attitudes towards Chinese-English code-switching
- Multilingualism among the elderly Chinese in Singapore: an oral account
