Discrimination does not cause the wage gap

ifty years after the passage of civil rights laws outlawing discrimination based on race, ethnicity and sex, blacks, Hispanics and women still earn less than white men. In many circles, this fact alone reinforces the belief that discrimination is widespread and only greater government intervention will solve the problem.

But might there be other reasons to explain the earnings gap between whites and minorities and between men and women? Yes, according to a provocative new book by economists June O’Neill and Dave O’Neill. “The Declining Importance of Race and Gender in the Labor Market” makes a persuasive argument that factors other than discrimination are to blame.