Ethnic-racial characteristics and unequal economic opportunities in Mexico

Abstract

This article examines the association between ethnic-racial characteristics and economic results in Mexico. Based on data from the 2016 Intergenerational Social Mobility Module, compiled by INEGI (2017) as part of the National Household Survey, our findings indicate that all the ethnic-racial characteristics studied (self-classification, indigenous language and skin tone) are associated in a statistically significant way with people’s economic destinies, with the linguistic dimension having the largest effect. Ethnic-racial self-classification, particularly mestizo or white rather than indigenous, has a smaller effect than that observed for the linguistic dimension, yet a greater one than skin tone. We find that these associations are statistically significant even when socioeconomic origins are controlled for, suggesting that economic inequalities can be explained by both the historical accumulation of disadvantages and the persistence of racist and discriminatory practices in the present.