Broken Down by Race and Gender? Sociological Explanations of New Sources of Earnings Inequality

Group gaps research risks irrelevance because new forms of earnings in- equality are increasing inequality within groups. This review attempts to stimulate more broad-ranging research on earnings inequality be- yond the study of average gender and racial gaps. After reviewing some of the problems with research on average group gaps, I provide a brief review of more recent attempts to transcend traditional group gaps re- search, and I point to some areas where there is still substantive neglect. The review ends with suggestions for ways to correct these problems and for inequality researchers to reconnect with a commitment to more comprehensive theoretical models that interrogate multiple sources of inequality.