Black males have much lower rates of upward mobility and higher rates of downward mobility than white males,

"The fact that black women have outcomes comparable to white women conditional on parental income despite having much lower test scores suggests that standardized tests do not provide accurate measures of differences in ability ( insofar as it is relevant for earnings) by race. "

A new study analyzes racial differences in economic opportunity using data on 20 million children and their parents. Black children have much lower rates of upward mobility and higher rates of downward mobility than white children, leading to black-white income disparities that persist across generations. While Hispanic and black Americans presently have comparable incomes, the incomes of Hispanic Americans are increasing steadily across generations.

The black-white gap in upward mobility is driven entirely by differences in men’s, not women’s, outcomes. Black and white men have very different outcomes even if they grow up in two-parent families with comparable incomes, education, and wealth; live on the same city block; and attend the same school. Black-white gaps are smaller in low-poverty neighborhoods with lower levels of racial bias among whites and a larger fraction of black fathers at home. 

Differences in family characteristics – parental marriage rates, education, wealth – and differences in ability explain very little of the black - white gap. Black children are much more likely to grow up in single parent households with less wealth and parents with lower levels of education – all factors that have received attention as potential explanations for black - white disparities. But, when  the outcomes of black and white men who grow up in two - parent families with similar levels of income, wealth, and education are compared black men still have substantially lower incomes in adulthood. Hence, differences in these family characteristics play a limited role in explaining the gap. 

Perhaps most controversially, some have proposed that racial disparities might be due to differences in innate ability . This hypothesis does not explain why there are black - white intergenerational gaps for men but not women. 

Moreover  black - white gaps in test scores – which have been the basis for most prior arguments for ability differences – are substantial for both men and women. The fact that black women have outcomes comparable to white women conditional on parental income despite having much lower test scores suggests that standardized tests do not provide accurate measures of differences in ability (insofar as it is relevant for earnings) by race. 

Related article: Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys
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