Ethnic Identification and its Consequences for Measuring Inequality in Mexico.

ABSTRACT: This paper examines ethnic boundary crossing and its impact on estimates of ethnic disparities in children's outcomes in the specific context of Mexico, a country with the largest indigenous population in the Western hemisphere. The boundary that separates the indigenous and non-indigenous population is known to be extremely fluid as it is based on characteristics that can easily change within a generation such as language use, cultural practices and a subjective sense of belonging. Using data from the Mexican census I examine the ethnic classification of children of indigenous parents. I find that movement across the ethnic boundary depends on which of the two criteria currently recognized by the Mexican census is used. Children of indigenous parents are much less likely to be classified

SUBMITTER: Villarreal A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4437246 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature