Positions attained. Table 39 shows that 45 percent of white women and 17 percent of black women held upper level management positions in 1992—roughly two and a half times difference. Today, these groups are nearly equal—36 percent of white women and 38 percent of black women hold upper level management positions. A similar narrowing of the gap occurred among the men. In 1992, whites exceeded blacks by 16 percent, today, 58 percent of both groups are in upper level management.

Changes in the employing organizations were quite substantial and varied by gender and race/ethnicity. For example, among women, 21 percent of blacks and 14 percent of whites shifted out of hospitals mostly to other providers such as nursing homes, medical groups and managed care organizations. While blacks’ declines occurred principally in freestanding hospitals, whites lost their representation mostly in system hospitals. Hospitals however, continue to dominate the employment sites for both groups. In 1992, 11 percent more whites than blacks managed hospitals and today, 18 percent more whites than blacks manage hospitals.

Among men, declines in hospital employment were also evident—3 percent declines are seen among blacks and 10 percent among whites. Blacks made up these deficits by going to other providers such as ambulatory care, long term care and home health agencies. White men split their migration—partly to these other providers and partly to non-providers such as consulting firms, associations, etc. Overall, there is an evening between blacks and whites both in regard to positions held and types of organizations they work for.

When comparing salary differences between the two groups, we note that in 1992, blacks earned significantly less than whites—16 percent less in the case of women, 10 percent less in the case of men. In 1997, the salary difference persists for women, but for men, the gap narrows to 7 percent. (Refer to Table 41)

Table 41.1 shows the mean salary earned controlling for position by gender and race. Because of small cell sizes, we cannot assert that these data are definitive; they are presented to suggest that within position categories, in 1992, whites earned more than blacks in 6 out of 10 cases. By 1997 whites continue to outpace blacks in 7 out of 10 cases.