Enumerates the reality of divergent patterns of assimilation – the majority, who are educationally and economically successful and a minority who remain marginalized in American society. The segmented assimilation pattern is attributed to: (1) continued racial discrimination, (2) a “bifurcated” labor market characterized by menial low wage jobs and technical high wage jobs but a diminishing number of transitional opportunities, and (3) the external challenges of poverty and crime on the neighborhoods and schools where new immigrant families reside. Based upon results from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) confronting the challenge requires that: (1) the first generation needs to have the means (human capital) to combat the problems outlined above; (2) a strong ethnic network that reinforces the familial values; and, (3) positive pathways (modes of incorporation) for the second generation to enter the job market and successfully assimilate. The case studies presented focus on Hispanic/Cuban families and a Jamaican family in the South Florida region; however, research indicates segmented assimilation in immigrants of all ethnic categories.
