Doctoral Dissertation Research: Permeable walls? Residential Segregation and Local Labor Markets in Two Mexican Cities

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

SES-0526233 Gay Seidman Landy Sanchez University of Wisconsin-Madison What is the role of space in manufacturing and reproducing social inequalities? This research examines the economic and social processes that are driving residential segregation in urban Mexico, and how residential segregation affects individuals' life chances. Past research suggests that, historically, Mexican urban geographies of class were characterized by greater social heterogeneity, and spatial arrangements did not play a central role in structuring social interactions across social divides. However, developments of the last decade have led to greater income polarization and more exclusionary uses of public spaces. The study seeks to: 1) examine the effect of cities' employment structures, particularly earnings and occupational polarization, on residential segregation levels by income and 2) test the argument that localized social and cultural capital dynamics affect residents' employment opportunities by shaping job networks, residents' employment expectations, definitions of desirable jobs, and symbolic repertoires such as norms and attitudes towards work. In addition, this project will test this argument's claims that low-income residents would benefit from living in a mixed neighborhood because they would have access to more resourceful social networks and the learning of symbolic repertoires that could enhance their employment opportunities. This project addresses these questions by comparing residential segregation patterns between1990 and 2000 in two major Mexican cities -Guadalajara and Monterrey. The research employs a mixed-method approach. It quantitatively estimates residential segregation levels, clusters census tracts with similar socio-economic characteristics using spatial data analysis techniques, and measures the effect of employment structures on residential segregation levels. Interviews will be conducted with middle- and low-income adult household members in each of the two cities to study the extent to which neighborhood-based social networks are central to gathering information about and access to jobs. Broader Impacts. This project adds to our understanding of residential segregation and the role of spatial arrangements in reproducing social inequalities. The research contributes to cross-cultural comparative studies by using standard measures of residential segregation in Latin American that are well known in the USA and Western Europe.