Seeking to understand the role played by labor market structure in affecting economic inequality, we examine the extent to which the public sector, as compared to the private sector, differentially employs and rewards women, Blacks and subgroups classified by race and gender (e.g., Black women, Black men). Analyzing data from the American Community Survey (2014–2015), we find that public-sector employment is more attractive for Blacks than for women; Blacks’ odds of becoming public-sector employees are much higher than those of Whites, regardless of gender. No evidence was found for the argument that gender interacts with race in affecting the tendency to work in the public sector. As for wages, despite recent trends pointing to a decline in the advantages of the public sector for Blacks, it is still found to be more protective of Blacks, men and women alike. The meaning of the findings and their implications are discussed in light of structural barriers of gender and race inequality.

为了了解劳动力市场结构在影响经济不平等中的作用，我们研究了与私营部门相比，公共部门与女性，黑人以及按种族和性别分类的子群体（例如黑人女人，黑人）。通过对《美国社区调查》（2014-2015年）的数据进行分析，我们发现，公共部门就业对黑人比对女性更具吸引力。不论性别，黑人成为公共部门雇员的几率都比白人高得多。没有证据表明性别与种族相互作用会影响公共部门的工作趋势。至于工资，尽管最近的趋势表明黑人在公共部门的优势正在下降，但人们仍然发现它对黑人具有更大的保护作用，男人和女人都一样。根据性别和种族不平等的结构性障碍，讨论了研究结果的含义及其含义。