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It has been common to approach the study of differences in Negro-white fertility from an assimilationalist perspective. A recent paper criticized this approach, suggesting as an alternative a social psychological argument which approaches the differential in terms of the insecurities associated with minority-group status. This explanation suggest that (1) minority-group status exercises an independent effect on fertility, and (2) minority-group status and certain structural factors interact to effect fertility. This paper attempts to test these two aspects of the " minority-group status hypothesis." The use of simple descriptive statistics early in the analysis tends to support the minority-group status hypothesis; however, the use of more rigorous inductive statistical techniques suggests that the hypothesis does not stand when applied to Negro-white fertility differences. It is suggested that the hypothesis be reformulated to take account of the extent of structural assimilation.
David F. Sly (Sun,) studied this question.