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DECOMPOSING GAPS BETWEEN ROMA AND NON-ROMA IN ROMANIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2018

Christopher Rauh Open the ORCID record for Christopher Rauh [Opens in a new window]
Christopher Rauh*
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal
*
Address correspondence to: Christopher Rauh, Department of Economics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; e-mail: christopher.raphael.rauh@umontreal.ca
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Abstract

It is widely known that the Roma have been suffering persistent disadvantages. Yet, little empirical evidence exists. Using the censuses of 1977, 1992, 2002, and 2011, I provide a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and an outlook on the future of the Roma in Romania, home to a large and rapidly growing Roma community. Young Roma, in particular girls, are less likely to be attending school, indicating that lack of educational attainment is likely to persist. The Roma have worse housing conditions and face lower employment and higher unemployment levels. Amongst Roma, females are less likely to be employed than males. Oaxaca–Blinder decompositions of the ethnic and gender employment gaps reveal that the differences in employment cannot be fully explained by observables, such as age or education. Despite the seemingly dire picture, there are signs of improvement for more recent cohorts, as literacy rates have reached close to universal levels.

Keywords

GypsiesRomainequalityRomaniaOaxaca–Blindergender gapethnic minoritiesI24J15J21J71
Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Demographic Economics , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , June 2018 , pp. 209 - 229
Copyright
Copyright © Université catholique de Louvain 2018 

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Footnotes

I thank the editor, two anonymous referees, Ezgi Kaya, Alison Rauh, and Rajesh Ramachandran for their valuable feedback.

References

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