Wage Discrimination and Occupational Crowding in a Competitive Industry: Evidence from the American Whaling Industry

• Published in: The Journal of economic history Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 123 - 138
• Main Authors: Craig, Lee A., Fearn, Robert M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01-03-1993; New York University Press for the Economic History Association
• Subjects: BALEINE; BALLENA; CAZA; CHASSE; Coefficients; Discrimination; Economic history; Employment discrimination; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; ETATS UNIS; Gender discrimination; GROUPE MINORITAIRE; GRUPOS MINORITARIOS; HISTOIRE; HISTORIA; HISTORY; HUNTING; LABOUR MARKET; MARCHE DU TRAVAIL; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MERCADO DEL TRABAJO; MINORITIES; MINORITY GROUPS; MODELE MATHEMATIQUE; MODELOS MATEMATICOS; Occupations; RACIAL DISCRIMINATION; REMUNERATION; SALARIOS; Seamen; Ships; U.S.A; USA; Variable coefficients; Wages; Wages & salaries; WHALES; Whales & whaling; Whaling; Whaling industry; United States > US
• ISSN: 0022-0507; 1471-6372
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050700012419

We test for wage discrimination and occupational crowding in the nineteenthcentury American whaling industry. Although our results indicate little evidence of wage discrimination, we cannot reject the hypothesis that certain groups—specifically blacks and Portuguese–experienced some occupational crowding, though it was by no means complete and the minority-dominated occupations were not low-paying ones. In addition, we find that members of the majority group—white American and Northern European seamen—did accept a negative compensating wage differential for working with members of their own group.