Athens, Ga. ? Everyone knows about the insidious effects of racism in American society. But when it comes to the workplace, African Americans may face a more complex situation?the effects of their own skin tone. For the first time, a study indicates that dark-skinned African Americans face a distinct disadvantage when applying for jobs, even if they have resumes superior to lighter-skinned black applicants. Matthew Harrison, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia, presented his research today at the 66th annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Atlanta. Along with his faculty supervisor, Kecia Thomas, a professor of applied psychology and acting director of UGA?s Institute for African American Studies, Harrison undertook the first significant study of ?colorism? in the American workplace. ?The findings in this study are, tragically, not too surprising,? said Harrison. ?We found that a light-skinned black male can have only a bachelor?s degree and typical work experience and still be preferred over a dark-skinned black male with an MBA and past managerial positions, simply because expectations of the light-skinned black male are much higher, and he doesn?t appear as ?menacing? as the darker-skinned male applicant.? While there have been other studies of effects of colorism socially, this is the first study designed specifically to examine how it operates in hiring and in the workplace. In America especially, Harrison says, when people think of race or race relations they commonly think of black and white. In fact, skin tone differences are responsible for increasing differences in perceptions within standard racially defined groups such as ?blacks.? This diversity within races based on skin complexion has a long history but only recently have researchers begun to understand what these differences can mean. Participants in the study that Harrison, himself an African-American, directed for his master?s thesis included 240 undergraduate students at the University of Georgia, some of whom participated in the study voluntarily, while others got class credit for their involvement. While there was a disproportionate number of females in the study (72 percent), this was due to the high percentage of women majoring in psychology at UGA and was adjusted for in reporting the research. Each student was asked to rate one of two resumes that came with one of three photographs of a theoretical job applicant (one man, one woman) whose skin color was either dark, medium or light. Harrison manipulated the skin tones of the applicants with Adobe Photoshop so facial characteristics could not be included in how the students rated the job applicants. ?Our results indicate that there appears to be a skin tone preference in regards to job selection,? said Harrison. ?This finding is possibly due to the common belief that fair-skinned blacks probably have more similarities with whites than do dark-skinned blacks, which in turn makes whites feel more comfortable around them.? Harrison refers in his paper to numerous studies that show that light skin is almost universally valued among all racial groups. Hierarchies based on light skin are prevalent in Hindu cultures in India, for example, and in Asian and Hispanic cultures as well. ?While the respondents in this study were University of Georgia students, we think we would find the same response no matter where such a study was done in the country,? said Thomas. ?When you consider that probably no more than 1 percent of industrial and organizational psychologists are black, you can see why a study like this just hasn?t been done before regarding colorism in the workplace. There are real-world consequences to these issues.? Harrison said he was surprised that skin hue was even more important than education in evaluating job applicants. ?Given the increasing number of biracial and multiracial Americans, more research similar to this study should be performed so that Americans can become more aware of the prevalence of color bias in our society,? he said. ?The only way we are going to begin to combat some of the inequities that result due to the beliefs and ideologies that are associated with colorism is by becoming more aware of the prejudices we have regarding skin tone due to the images we are exposed to on a regular basis.? Society, he said, equates lighter skin with attractiveness, intelligence, competency and likeability, while we are often given a ?much more dismal and bleak picture? of those who have darker skin. ?The more we challenge these images and our own belief systems,? said Harrison, ?the greater the likelihood we will judge an individual by his or her actual merit rather than skin tone.? The Academy of Management is a leading professional organization for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. Founded in 1936 by two professors, the AOM is the oldest and largest scholarly management association in the world. Today, the group has more than 16,000 members from 97 nations. http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/060815_SkinToneStudy.shtml :arrow: Question to all...Does it seem as if skin tone makes a difference at all (light skinned vs dark skinned) when dealing with the attraction between black men & white women. Would love to get some responses on this. Thanks. :wink:
Funny, I've always suspected this. This is quite sad. White/light skin privilege is alive and well even if racism isn't as blatant as it was back then.
so true unfortunately. I'd like to hope more than not, those who do date IR, skin tone is less of a discrimination.. However, I guess I am not surprised if it may be in other areas.. It irritates me that there is any at all. If I applied for a job as a Caucasian, the difference between a tanner complected white person and an almost albino white person or any shade in between (lets face it, as a white person, there are only so many shades), I don't imagine skin tone would have anything to do with getting a job.. unless it is a modeling job for a sun tan lotion.... however.. dating, I think we all might have our preferences.. I know black men who don't like when white women tan either.. some of them want us as porcelain white as we can come.. others prefer a nice tan.. well.. we might find a light/medium or dark skin on a black men more or less preferable as well.. but that is just a preference I would hope.. but hey.. it takes all kinds I guess.. Personally I care a lot more about who the man is under the skin.
Ive always known this to be true, I saw latinos and asians being racist towards darker skinned blacks. And I know for a fact that white men feel less threatened by lighter skinned black men. Im so glad a study like this has been done because its something most black people have always known to be true but never been able to prove.
i think this is so sad....but it is common in every race. Look at hitler with white people. For all his propoganda he put all the blond haired blue eyed children in the front and the dark ones in the back.
Sadly, this has always been known in the Black community, it has been kept supressed. I know for a fact that a particular black women's dormitory at a Black Medical college in the South discriminated against the darker skinned sistas. The Dorm Director a married Black male, blacker than anyone I've ever met, was a major SOB. Really Sad!!!
I've always known that for a very long time but hey, what can you do? That still does not stand in the way of me and my ordinate ambitions.
I can't deny that being white gives me an edge in ways I don't ask for, but to be honest, it also sickens me. It bothers me a great deal that just being white still has the impact it does after all this time of people fighting for racial equality. I fear it will be generations before we see more changes.
