education classes and wage inequality among us workers1950-2009教育类和工资不平等在我们中间workers1950 - 2009.pdfVIP

Sociology Mind 2011. Vol.1, No.4, 164-172 Copyright © 2011 SciRes. DOI:10.4236/sm.2011.14021 Education Classes and Wage Inequality among US Workers: 1950-2009 Richard R. Verdugo National Education Association, Washington DC., UK. Email: rverdugo@ th th th Received May 18 , 2011; revised July 27 , 2011; accepted September 9 , 2011. A considerable amount of research consistently finds is that the better educated, generally, earn more than the less educated. It is also believed that better work and technical skills are linked to education. For these and other reasons, researchers and policy makers have long pushed for increasing the educational attainment of the American population. And, indeed, over the 20th Century, the American population has become highly educated to the point where a high school education is no longer seen as a path to better economic status. Rather, a college degree has taken that role. Since about mid-20th century more Americans are going to college, and this may have important implications for income inequality? In this paper, I examine income inequality among four education classes (ECs): those with less than a High School Diploma, those with a High School Diploma, those with some c