The effects of ethnicity, gender and birthplace on status attainment in Hawai'i in the 21st century

Hawaii is widely believed to be a racial "melting pot," where ethnicity matters little in determining an individual's socioeconomic status. However, past studies indicate that ethnicity plays an important role in Hawaii. This study aims to investigate ethnic inequality systematically by using recent large-scale data from the American Community Survey. The results of the analysis show that ethnicity, along with gender and birthplace, are significant variables affecting income and occupational opportunities, controlling for educational attainment and other socio-demographic variables. Chinese and Japanese Americans enjoy relatively higher socioeconomic status than other non-white ethnic groups but suffer income disadvantages vis-a-vis whites. Also, non-white women suffer smaller gender income inequality than white women and do not face "double disadvantages." In order to explore the possible factors generating their income differences, this study also examines the unequal return for education as well as Hawaii's economic structure.