The long-existing racial/ethnic wealth gaps in the U.S. persist during the COVID-19 pandemic due to income inequalities and other structural racism experiences, which may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in material hardship experiences. This study examined material hardship disparities and factors that may contribute to racial/ethnic wealth gaps among U.S. families with young children during the pandemic. Using survey data collected from a large national study among parents of children under six years old between April 2020 and October 2022 (N = 6,903; 7.23 % Black, 12.33 % Hispanic/Latino[a]; 29.03 % below 200 % FPL), this study revealed factors that substantially contributed to racial/ethnic wealth gaps, including debt, home ownership, income changes, and discrimination experiences. Moreover, Black and Hispanic/Latino(a) households of middle-to-higher-income levels reported more material hardships than White households with similar income, suggesting that higher income levels could not fully compensate for the systemic, generationally accumulated wealth gaps or equitably protect families of color from hardships in the pandemic. Although not directly studying the total wealth amount, this study provided compelling evidence for racial/ethnic structural inequalities in the wealth accumulation processes and hardship experiences, highlighting the pervasive economic vulnerability among not only lower-income households, but also middle-to-higher-income Black and Hispanic/Latino(a) families with young children.

中文翻译：

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有幼儿的美国家庭之间的种族/民族贫富差距和物质困难差距：COVID-19 大流行背景下的调查


由于 COVID-19 大流行期间，由于收入不平等和其他结构性种族主义经历，美国长期存在的种族/族裔财富差距仍然存在，这可能导致物质困难经历中的种族/民族差异。本研究调查了大流行期间有年幼孩子的美国家庭的物质困难差距和可能导致种族/民族财富差距的因素。使用从 2020 年 4 月至 2022 年 10 月期间对 6 岁以下儿童父母进行的一项大型全国性研究收集的调查数据（N = 6,903;7.23% 黑人，12.33% 西班牙裔/拉丁裔[a];29.03% 低于 200% FPL），本研究揭示了导致种族/民族财富差距的重大因素，包括债务、房屋所有权、收入变化和歧视经历。此外，中高收入水平的黑人和西班牙裔/拉丁裔 （a） 家庭报告比收入相似的白人家庭面临更多的物质困难，这表明较高的收入水平无法完全补偿系统性的、代际积累的财富差距，也无法公平地保护有色人种家庭在大流行中免受困难。虽然没有直接研究总财富金额，但这项研究为财富积累过程和困难经历中的种族/民族结构性不平等提供了令人信服的证据，突出了不仅在低收入家庭中普遍存在的经济脆弱性，而且在有年幼孩子的中高收入黑人和西班牙裔/拉丁裔 （a） 家庭中也普遍存在经济脆弱性。