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Effects of Skin Color Bias in SES on Political Attitudes and Activities
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pyramid would be Afro-Americans, with mulattos occupying a higher social status than blacks (Cottrol 2001)
All of these groups, one must remember, count as Latinos in the racial parlance of the United States, so what is described as a racial hierarchy across Latin America can be thought of as a skin color hierarchy within a given ethnic group north of the Rio Grande. As in Latin America, throughout U.S. history light-skinned Latinos have been accorded, and taken onto themselves, higher social status, more material wealth, greater interactions with Anglos including intermarriage, and more political power (see also Menchaca 2001; Nobles 2000).
The effect of skin color may be similar for people conventionally defined as black or
Latino, but it is important to note that the historical dynamics underlying these outcomes differ. Skin color variations among blacks are caused by a history of sexual interaction, forced or not, with nonblacks; the variation occurs within a race as conventionally understood. Skin color effects among Latinos are caused by a history of colonialism and the importation of slaves as much as by any direct personal interactions; therefore the variation largely occurs across several races or racial mixtures. Due to the racial mixture in both groups, there is a large interaction between skin tone and physical features, so that in general darker Latinos and blacks are also more indigenous and/or Afrocentric looking, while lighter Latinos and blacks have more Eurocentric features.
2
Skin color hierarchies have appeared just as prominently in other races and ethnicities. In
Japan, members of the upper class have lighter skin tones than do members of the middle or lower classes; the author of this study concludes that “social selection for light skin color has had some genetic effect” in a nation that was genetically isolated for almost 1500 years (Hulse 1967, quotation in abstract). According to an ancient Japanese proverb, “white skin makes up for seven defects” (quoted in Wagatsuma 1968: 129). In India, “this preference for light-skinned spouses can be easily verified by the matrimonial columns of some of the Hindu dailies. Among the most desirable traits a bride can have are virginity and light skin, as evidenced by those placing ads.” (Hall 1995: 179).
Anglos have traditionally made the same connection between status or life chances and
skin color within what we now call the white race. Northern Europeans (except for the “black Irish”) had the highest status, the greatest wealth holdings, the most education, and the most political power in America until well into the twentieth century (Lieberson 1980). Throughout the twentieth century, members of the old immigrant groups –light-skinned northern Europeans
2
Without delving far here into the relationship between color and other phenotypical characteristics, note that when
we say skin color in this analysis we also mean the other features associated with light or dark skin. The National Chicano Study, the only national survey that has measured both color and features, shows the very high correlation between the two. As the chart below demonstrates, light skin connotes a more Eurocentric appearance while dark skin is strongly associated with more indigenous features; the relationship is statistically significant (p = .000;
χ
2 =
1327.832).
Physical Features
Skin Color
Very indigenous
Indigenous
Medium
European
Very European
Very dark
66.2
12.7
1.3
1.4
0
Dark 28.2
68.0
15.2
1.9
0
Medium 1.4 16.8
64.5
9.7 1.6
Light 2.8
2.0
15.5
63.3
17.5
Very light
1.4
.4
3.5
23.7
81.0
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| | Authors: Hochschild, Jennifer., Weaver, Vesla. and Burch, Traci. |
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5
pyramid would be Afro-Americans, with mulattos occupying a higher social status than
blacks (Cottrol 2001)
All of these groups, one must remember, count as Latinos in the racial parlance of the United
States, so what is described as a racial hierarchy across Latin America can be thought of as a skin
color hierarchy within a given ethnic group north of the Rio Grande. As in Latin America,
throughout U.S. history light-skinned Latinos have been accorded, and taken onto themselves,
higher social status, more material wealth, greater interactions with Anglos including
intermarriage, and more political power (see also Menchaca 2001; Nobles 2000).
The effect of skin color may be similar for people conventionally defined as black or
Latino, but it is important to note that the historical dynamics underlying these outcomes differ.
Skin color variations among blacks are caused by a history of sexual interaction, forced or not,
with nonblacks; the variation occurs within a race as conventionally understood. Skin color
effects among Latinos are caused by a history of colonialism and the importation of slaves as
much as by any direct personal interactions; therefore the variation largely occurs across several
races or racial mixtures. Due to the racial mixture in both groups, there is a large interaction
between skin tone and physical features, so that in general darker Latinos and blacks are also
more indigenous and/or Afrocentric looking, while lighter Latinos and blacks have more
Eurocentric features.
2
Skin color hierarchies have appeared just as prominently in other races and ethnicities. In
Japan, members of the upper class have lighter skin tones than do members of the middle or
lower classes; the author of this study concludes that “social selection for light skin color has had
some genetic effect” in a nation that was genetically isolated for almost 1500 years (Hulse 1967,
quotation in abstract). According to an ancient Japanese proverb, “white skin makes up for
seven defects” (quoted in Wagatsuma 1968: 129). In India, “this preference for light-skinned
spouses can be easily verified by the matrimonial columns of some of the Hindu dailies. Among
the most desirable traits a bride can have are virginity and light skin, as evidenced by those
placing ads.” (Hall 1995: 179).
Anglos have traditionally made the same connection between status or life chances and
skin color within what we now call the white race. Northern Europeans (except for the “black
Irish”) had the highest status, the greatest wealth holdings, the most education, and the most
political power in America until well into the twentieth century (Lieberson 1980). Throughout
the twentieth century, members of the old immigrant groups –light-skinned northern Europeans
2
Without delving far here into the relationship between color and other phenotypical characteristics, note that when
we say skin color in this analysis we also mean the other features associated with light or dark skin. The National
Chicano Study, the only national survey that has measured both color and features, shows the very high correlation
between the two. As the chart below demonstrates, light skin connotes a more Eurocentric appearance while dark
skin is strongly associated with more indigenous features; the relationship is statistically significant (p = .000;
χ
2 =
1327.832).
Physical Features
Skin
Color
Very indigenous
Indigenous
Medium
European
Very European
Very dark
66.2
12.7
1.3
1.4
0
Dark 28.2
68.0
15.2
1.9
0
Medium 1.4 16.8
64.5
9.7 1.6
Light 2.8
2.0
15.5
63.3
17.5
Very light
1.4
.4
3.5
23.7
81.0
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