Occupational and wage returns to higher education in Brazil and South Africa: Racial and gender inequalities in the 21st century

• Grant number: 24/10959-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 17, 2025
• End date: February 16, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Demography - Public Policy and Population
• Principal Investigator: Joice Melo Vieira
• Grantee: Ianca Almeida da Silva
• Supervisor: Leticia Junqueira Marteleto
• Host Institution: Núcleo de Estudos da População (NEPO). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Pennsylvania, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/13931-1 - Occupational returns to higher education in Brazil and South Africa: racial differences and inequality reduction policies in the 21st century, BP.DR

Abstract

Brazil and South Africa are two multicultural and highly unequal countries that are considered emerging in the current phase of global capitalism. Both have a colonial past marked by slavery and unequal access to income based on race and gender. The question is: To what extent does education function as a social equalizer, resulting in equal pay and job opportunities that are compatible with higher education, regardless of an individual's gender and race/color? The theoretical framework of this project is primarily based on discussions of the occupational and wage returns of education, human capital theory, and its critiques. We view higher education as a significant means of acquiring human capital, which should, in theory, result in greater income access, more advantageous positions in the occupational structure, and access to income (Becker, 1930). The data sources analyzed are the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD-C) and the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the years 2012, 2017, and 2021. The methodology employs binary logistic regression to analyze the factors most strongly associated with obtaining higher education. Multinomial logistic regression is used to analyze the factors most strongly associated with position in the occupational structure. Additionally, an adaptation of the Oaxaca-Blinder method is used to investigate wage differentials according to gender and race, identifying the extent to which this differential is due to discrimination.