Document Type
Article
Publication Title
AEA Papers and Proceedings
Publication Date
2006
ISSN
2574-0768
Page Number
251
Keywords
race equality, race discrimination, human skin color
Disciplines
Law | Law and Race
Abstract
It is commonly assumed that lighter skinned African Americans receive preferential treatment over darker skinned counterparts. Using individual data from three sources, this paper examines the influence of skin tone on education and on wages. Lighter skin tone has a consistent positive impact on educational attainment but has a less consistent influence on wages. Possible mechanisms by which skin tone differences might influence economic outcomes are investigated, including measurement error, perceived attractiveness, access to integrated schools or work groups, perceived discrimination, and genetic differences. The perception that there is differential treatment on the basis of skin tone is more pronounced than the observed disparities.
Recommended Citation
Joni Hersch,
Skin-Tone Effects among African Americans: Perceptions and Reality, 96 AEA Papers and Proceedings. 251
(2006)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/667