Male Youth Activities and Metropolitan Context

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Abstract
The research reported here examines the impact of metropolitan location on the activity choices of a sample of black and white male youths living in large metropolitan areas in the United States in 1980. The results of the analysis confirm that similar youths living in different metropolitan areas will make different activity choices. Furthermore, black male youths are found to be substantially more sensitive to metropolitan context than white male youths. The analysis also suggests that black and white disadvantaged youths respond differently to metropolitan context in terms of the trade-offs between activities. Disadvantaged black male youths are highly unlikely to be employed in all metropolitan areas and tend to trade-off staying in school with idleness, whereas disadvantaged white male youths tend to trade-off employment with idleness, depending on the metropolitan area they live in. This research confirms the importance of incorporating geographic context into our theoretical understanding of male youths' behavior. We must also, however, continue to address the implications of race as it shapes the context-dependent labor-market experiences of male youths.