RACIAL-INEQUALITY IN MENS EMPLOYMENT AND RETIREMENT EARNINGS

Data from the New Beneficiary Study for currently married men who bega n receiving social security benefits in 1980-1981 indicate that the ra cial earnings gap is greater in retirement than it was in employment. Racial differences in employment and pension earnings are specified by education and employment status. There is, however, a significant net racial effect in predicting social security earnings. Furthermore, ed ucation interacts with race in predicting asset earnings, which consti tute the major source of racial inequality in retirement. This analysi s highlights not only the enduring problem of poverty for African Amer icans and Latinos who are ''working off the books,'' without social se curity benefits, but also the possibility of a ''glass ceiling'' that limits access to assets for highly educated nonwhites.