An Intersectional Analysis of Labor Market Outcomes

Recent work highlights the importance of intersectionality to the study of the economic and labor market inequalities of those with disabilities. Yet, little attention has been given to examining the causes and consequences of these intersectional effects. The current chapter expands on previous research by (1) examining how race/ethnicity, gender, and disability status work in tandem to shape employment probabilities among working-age adults with disabilities and (2) whether potential disparities among these groups can be explained by government assistance receipt. This chapter uses data from the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate a series of logistic regression models predicting employment from 16 race-gender-disability groups. Results provide evidence for a “spillover effect” where the disadvantages or advantages an individual acquires from the combination of their status-based characteristics spill over to affect their employment probabilities. This spillover effect may result from the multiplicative effects of race/ethnicity, gender, and disability status on institutions, including employment and government assistance, intertwining to create and maintain hierarchies of disadvantage, leading to overlapping institutions of oppression.