No Surprise - Skin Tone Study Reveals Preference for Light-Skinned Employees

No Surprise - Skin Tone Study Reveals Preference for Light-Skinned Employees

A controversial study on skin tone has revealed what many black folks have been whispering about for years: Light-skinned blacks are often more likely to be considered for jobs over dark-skinned blacks.

The University of Georgia’s unprecedented study indicates that dark-skinned blacks 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, recently presented his research at the 66th annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Atlanta.

"Our results indicate that there appears to be a skin tone preference in regards to job selection," Harrison said in a statement. "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."

"I think what was most shocking to me was to find that dark-skinned black males with greater credentials were still recommended less -- or seen as less of a candidate -- than light-skinned blacks with worse credentials."

"I think it has a lot to do with the general comfort level that people have with dark-skinned blacks and light-skinned blacks," Harrison said. "The media depicts dark-skinned black men as violent and threatening."

Harrison said he was reminded of the controversial Time magazine cover that featured O.J. Simpson during his murder trial when the magazine darkened Simpson’s image to make him appear more menacing.

"The findings in this study are, tragically, not too surprising," Harrison said.

"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," he said.While there have been other studies of effects of "colorism," in American society, the university said, Harrison’s work 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," he said.

Harrison, who is black, conducted a study that 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.

Harrison told BlackAmericaWeb.com that many Americans have "general expectations" of dark-skinned blacks and light-skinned blacks.

For example, he said, if blacks were divided into two groups -- group one being factory workers and custodians, and group two being doctors, lawyers and politicians -- most people, he said, would assume group one are dark-skinned blacks and group two are light-skinned blacks.

Harrison said his study validated what black folks have discussed privately for years.

"I think most black people expect that light-skinned blacks would be preferred and hired over dark-skinned blacks," Harrison told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

A disproportionate number of females in the study (72 percent) was due to the high percentage of women majoring in psychology at UGA, according to the university.

The issue of intra-racial relationships among blacks appears to be a popular subject these days.

In Springfield, IL., The Capital City Courier, a black newspaper, recently published a story entitled "Light Skin Blacks vs. Dark Skin Blacks" written by Kim E. Gordon. The article explores the historical and sociological debate about issues relating to black and light black Americans.

"One of the aims of this newspaper is to talk about and raise issues on the items that we talk about in private but don't generally talk about in public," Michael Pittman, editor-in-chief of the Capital City Courier, told BlackNews.com.

"I continue to take the stance that if blacks as a community are going to overcome," he said, "we must be able to confront the issues that sometimes make us uncomfortable."

Meanwhile, Harrison said he was surprised that skin tone was more important than education when employers evaluate 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," Harrison 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."

Harrison said he hopes his study will help put an end to age-old stereotypes.

"The more we challenge these images and our own belief systems," he said, "the greater the likelihood we will judge an individual by his or her actual merit rather than skin tone."