| Human capital or human capitalism has become the | | | | the most part, will determine who will eventually |
| explanation of the labor market and earnings inequality | | | | succeed in society and who will not and are based on |
| put forth by economists. While not a theory of racial | | | | laws that riddled with negative perceptions. Children |
| and gender inequality in the labor market, this line of | | | | who are designated a lower track are usually |
| reasoning has major implications for minority and | | | | minorities and from the inner cities of America. |
| gender disadvantage in the labor market. | | | | The main shortcoming of the Human Capital Theory is |
| Human capital is the education, skill levels, and problem | | | | the belief that education alone will end poverty. Even if |
| solving abilities that will enable an individual to be | | | | there was a law that made it mandatory for every |
| productive worker in today's society. It contends that | | | | child born in America to receive a free college |
| investment in education will improve the quality of | | | | education, there would have to be enough jobs in the |
| workers and, consequently, increase the wealth of the | | | | labor market for the influx of future college graduates. |
| community (Spring, 2006). | | | | According to Spring, during the early 1970s, an |
| Human capital as put forth by proponents such as | | | | educational inflation occurred when the labor market |
| Jacob Mincer (1962) and Gary Becker (1964), argue | | | | was flooded with college graduates and the |
| that inequality exists in the labor market because some | | | | occupational structure was not able to supply these |
| workers are more productive than others. Productive | | | | individuals with jobs. As a result, people with |
| workers are more productive because they have | | | | doctorates were driving taxicabs and waiting on tables. |
| invested more in themselves in human capital that will | | | | In the end, the labor market proved to be the main |
| potentially increase their future monetary income. If | | | | factor in determining employment, not education |
| everyone invested the same amount of resources in | | | | (Spring, p27). |
| human capital, the distribution of earnings would be | | | | Horace Mann's noble if misguided idea that the equality |
| exactly the same. | | | | of opportunity would reduce social tensions between |
| In short, inequality in the labor market occurs because | | | | the poor and the rich by instilling the belief in people that |
| (1) some people have more education than others, (2) | | | | everyone has an opportunity to succeed has not |
| are willing to invest more in their human capital, and (3) | | | | come to pass, at least not in minority communities. |
| choose to work in jobs that pay higher monetary | | | | Only a ninny would believe that the educational system |
| incomes than those who like being on the low end of | | | | in this country provides everyone with an equal |
| the economic totem pole. | | | | opportunity for advancement and potential wealth. In |
| However, this mentality is one of the many | | | | Jonathon Kozol's book, Savage Inequalities, he |
| shortcomings of human capitalism. This theory does | | | | discusses the plight of students in several cities in |
| not take into account life altering variables such as | | | | America such as Chicago, New York, and Camden, |
| racism, sexism, classism and massive amounts of | | | | New Jersey who because of their caste in this |
| inequality in the educational system. Because of these | | | | society, face horrific obstacles while trying to obtain an |
| variables, Latinos and African Americans are three | | | | education. The conditions these students face are |
| times more likely to live in poverty than Whites. | | | | discouraging, oppressive, depressing, and disheartening. |
| Women account for two-thirds of the poor. | | | | It is no wonder that children in these districts drop out in |
| Proponents of this theory would like to think that these | | | | such great numbers. Education should be equal, free, |
| individuals are incapable of achieving the same financial | | | | and offered to all, regardless of age, race, or disability. |
| success as their better educated, wealthier | | | | The education gap in the U.S., like the wealth chasm, is |
| counterparts and have not invested the proper amount | | | | growing ever wider, and equal educational opportunity, |
| of human capital to achieve success. This argument is | | | | the perennial dream of working and progressive |
| aligned with social Darwinism; survival of the fittest, the | | | | people, is being undermined by conservative forces. |
| notion that the poor are biologically unfit to compete | | | | Although free universal public education was adopted |
| and are to blame for their own poverty stricken | | | | early in U.S. history, equal opportunity has never been |
| existence. | | | | realized. Since colonial times, education has been |
| Individuals who have not been able to accumulate | | | | provided free of charge for most school aged children |
| large amounts of human capital are not powerless due | | | | in local communities (excluding, at various times, slaves, |
| to their lack of extraordinary ability but because of the | | | | native Americans, migrants, pregnant girls, |
| same systematic barriers that have existed in this | | | | special-needs students, and other neglected groups), |
| country since its existence: discrimination and | | | | and have been primarily financed by local taxes and |
| institutionalized racism. The federal government's | | | | controlled by the ruling classes of local communities. |
| continuing disregard for the overwhelming majority of | | | | These two features of American education: local |
| its citizens has become more apparent as the | | | | financing and local control of schools initially established |
| incessant suffering of the working class and the | | | | and continue to maintain inequality in American |
| abysmal excuse for an educational system are not | | | | education. |
| only ignored but antagonized with rudimentary policies | | | | These reasons are just some of the shortcomings of |
| and expedient solutions. | | | | human capitalism. How can individuals build up their |
| This is all done at the expense of the most vulnerable | | | | human capital when they are faced with an |
| members of society, the children. One of the most | | | | educational system that is inherently unequal in which |
| astonishing and under reported statistics in this country | | | | wealthy communities have had abundant resources |
| is that children are forty percent of the poor but is only | | | | available for education while many poor communities |
| twenty-six percent of the population. These children | | | | have never had adequate funds? When welfare |
| not only lack money but the opportunity for a decent | | | | recipients are told to drop out of school in their final |
| education. Students upon embarking on the first day of | | | | semester of college, make 10 job contacts a week, |
| school are immediately inundated into a government | | | | take a class on how to fill out applications and make it |
| employed tracking system that has been used since | | | | to work on time in order to receive cash benefits? |
| the 1920s when the government decided to separate | | | | Although education is extolled as the key to success in |
| students by academic ability (Spring 2006). This | | | | this society, educational opportunities for the poor are |
| system places students on predetermined paths | | | | limited. It seems as if the children of the poor are |
| based on subjective criteria, creating pathways that will | | | | considered to be nothing more than fodder for low |
| inevitably socialize the students into their expected role | | | | paying jobs, unworthy of social investment, while the |
| in society. Infested with inequality and discrimination, this | | | | children of the affluent have access to unlimited |
| system degrades children based on their ascribed | | | | educational opportunities. |
| status (race, class, gender). These categorizations for | | | | |