Social Inequality from the perspective of the Racial Balance Index

Abstract

Brazil still has a long way to go in facing its deep social problems. In order to offer a new perspective on Brazilian inequality, this paper proposes to use the Racial Balance Index to reveal where the greatest and worst advances in the direction of racial equity lie. With this index it is possible to identify and monitor racial inequality in socioeconomic variables over time considering the local racial distribution. Thus, this work analyzes racial imbalances, by state and region, present in high schooling, in the elderly population and in groups with higher incomes. As a result, there has been a significant improvement in the educational situation in recent years. The racial imbalance in the population with higher education has decreased considerably. However, this has not yet been reflected in an improvement in racial inequality in earnings and longevity.