Work

Chinese mothers’ profiles of color-conscious socialization and social dominance orientation: Relations to children’s racial attitudes.

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: This study concerns Chinese mothers' color-conscious socialization and social dominance orientation and how these relate to children's racial attitudes. METHOD: Data were collected from a sample of 155 Chinese children (71 girls) aged 7-11 years and their mothers, from urban regions across China (Shanghai, Jinan, and cities in Jiangsu Province), including observations of mothers' color-conscious practices, self-reported social dominance orientation, and children's attitudes toward light-skinned Chinese, tan-skinned Chinese, and White groups. All children were born in urban areas and from middle-income families. RESULTS: Variable- and person-centered analyses suggested three areas of color-conscious practices, racial appearance, cultural background, and grouping, and revealed heterogeneity in associations between color consciousness and social dominance orientation. Mothers' acknowledgment of shared culture was associated with children's positive attitudes toward their racial ingroup with darker skin tone. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of a nuanced and contextualized understanding of color-conscious socialization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000709

Authors: Dan Gao, Mitch van Geel, Junsheng Liu, Judi Mesman

Institutions: Leiden University, East China Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Social and Intergroup Psychology

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: China Scholarship Council