The US Unemployment Statistics - African Americans Are More Likely to Be Unemployed - Term Paper Example

The paper "Race and Its Implications on Unemployment" is a good example of an essay on social science. More than five decades after serious amendments in equal rights in the American constitution, the problem of racial discrimination are still rife within the society. Unemployment statistics for the last few decades indicate that African Americans are the worst affected when it comes to unemployment. Indeed according to Bump, 2014, “On average, the unemployment rate for blacks was 66 percent higher than that for whites.

” However, it is worth noting that the racial disparity when it comes to unemployment is not constant everywhere but varies from one place t another.  Several propositions have been brought forth explaining the reason for the racial implication on unemployment. The most notable reason is the difference in education settings between African American’ regions and the regions occupied by whites. It is argued that the quality of education in black traditional regions is significantly lower (Keeanga, 2010).

In return, the low education status ill-equips blacks to the overly competitive job market. Therefore, the blacks are forced to work on low paying jobs and at more often, on intermittent jobs (Bump, 2014). However, what pushes the unemployment statistics high is the fact that the blacks work on “shaky jobs.” When recession comes, blacks are often first to be retrenched not because of racial discrimination but because their jobs are more prone to market volatilities. The entry of the first African American president in the U.

S generated heightened hopes of ending racial implication on unemployment. With a high turnout during voting, the minorities were able to elect more black representatives more than ever before. However, the representatives starting with the president have not been able to make any significant policy changes that would guarantee safeguards against racial discrimination in regard to unemployment (Boushey, & Eizenga, 2011). Influencing the government into instituting policies that are more stringent towards minority employment is still a painstakingly difficult effort.

Politics plays a significant role in changing the social discourse especially when minorities are at the center stage. Since the times of Martin Luther King Junior, there has been very little political influence from the leadership in regard to minorities racial discrimination on unemployment. President Obama has largely prioritized the Obama Health Bill for a significant time of his term in office (Keeanga, 2010). Arguably, had he fought gallantly and become more vibrant like Martin Luther on issues of blacks and unemployment, the issue of race influencing employment would be a solved issue.

The problem of unemployment has a strong correlation with the cultural background of a given community. The minorities especially the blacks were traditionally slaves on the hands of whites. Whereas slavery was abolished many years ago, slavery gave an unequal starting foot for whites versus minorities in terms of job and investment opportunities. Coupled with poor living conditions, low education levels, and a racially oriented society, minorities have faced a myriad of challenges over the years (Hornsby, 2014).

However, significant strides have been made in terms of unemployment statistics between whites and minorities. The only prevalent problem is that whites have been developing at different societal aspects that minority groups. Whereas the problem of unemployment remains a challenge in many parts of the world, there is hope that decades to come, minorities will be in a better position in employment statistics.