Mismatch invisible underemployment is defined as a condition in which a person with a given level of education receives less than he/she should in terms of income and prestige. To examine the relationship between mismatch invisible underemployment and male competency and to determine the degree to which mismatch invisible underemployment affects a man's ability to function competently, employed black and white household heads (N=341) were interviewed as part of the 1981 Detroit Area Study. Results indicated that there was an inverse relationship between mismatch invisible underemployment and male competency as measured by self-efficacy. However, this relationship was only significant for whites but not for blacks. This finding suggests that this difference may have been due to the small sample size of blacks (N=48) compared to whites (N=290). (Author/JAC)