Skin Color and Friendships Across Ethnoracial Lines

• In Event: 2449 - Race, Genetics and Belonging

Abstract

Friendships between members of different ethnoracial groups can help to reduce prejudice and ease tensions across ethnoracial groups. A large body of literature has explored possible determinants that may cause these friendships to form. One unexplored factor is the possible role of an individual’s skin color in influencing their opportunities to befriend members of other ethnoracial groups. Exploring the role of skin color helps race/ethnicity and social stratification scholars to better understand barriers individuals may have to face to cross ethnoracial boundaries. Previous research has suggested that skin color can predict characteristics of partners. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen and a series of multinomial logit models, the results suggest that the role of skin color may be a function of which two ethnoracial groups befriend one another. Lighter-skinned members of lower status ethnoracial groups have a great probability of having close friendships with members of higher status ethnoracial groups while darker-skinned members of higher status ethnoracial groups have a greater probability of forming close friendships with members of lower status ethnoracial groups.

Author

• Emilce Santana, Texas A&M University