Increased gender and racial diversity in the labor market since the 1960s has been a key factor in America’s booming growth in productivity, suggests a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
In 1960, 94 percent of doctors and lawyers were white men. By 2008, this was just 62 percent. Similar changes have occurred across professions throughout the U.S. economy during the last 50 years.
A half century ago, being a white man was clearly considered an advantage (if not a requirement) for employment in certain professions. Things have obviously changed since, though subconscious attitudes in this vein surely still persist.
azizonomics 
What exactly is the cause/effect connection between productivity growth and the gender composition of doctors and lawyers? I would label the assertion a non-sequitur.
If you have barriers to entry that prevent people from using their talents to the fullest extent — for example, racist or sexist discrimination — you get lower productivity. If 94% of doctors and lawyers are white men (who make up only 36% of the US population) this shows that the system has been rigged to favour a certain gender and race, not to optimise talent allocation.
Racism and sexism are evil things, but claiming diversity for our economic success-indeed, if there is any- is a bit of a stretch.
Finland seems to have done quite well without diversity for the sake of difference.
If you don’t have a diverse population, then it isn’t an issue.
Another argument would be that racist and sexist staff are more productive.
None ‘ist staff have left their former profession to invigilate equality.
The ists left behind have more than picked up the slack.
Attaboys to John Aziz for disseminating useful and morally&economically encouraging information. Additional info:
Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese and other “races” of physicians are on the increase here in the US — foreign parenting is usually better than in the US, especially among African-Americans, whose proportion of single-parent (mother only) children has skyrocketed since “The War on Poverty” and subsequent government-dependency programs have proliferated. Reportedly, 3/4 of African-American babies are bastards!
We already have too many lawyers. Why? Most federal and state legislators (lawmakers) are lawyers.
Racial prejudice is sustained by politicians. If American voters become color-blind, as Martin Luther King and others fought for, Obama and most Democratic politicians and con-men would be out of power. They know this, of course: the Treyvon Martin issue was created by the White House after local authorities found no basis for filing charges.
It ain’t as bad as you think — it’s worse!
Weak