Skin Shade Stratification and the Psychological Cost of Unemployment: Is there a Gradient for Black Females?

Authors: Timothy M. Diette, Arthur H. Goldsmith, Darrick Hamilton, and William A. Darity Jr.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to formally evaluate whether the deleterious impact of unemployment on mental health increases as skin shade darkens for black women in the U.S. Using data drawn from the National Survey of American Life, we find strong evidence of a gradient on depression between skin shade and unemployment for black women. These findings are consistent with the premises of the emerging field of stratification economics. Moreover, the findings are robust to various definitions of skin shade. Unemployed black women with darker complexions are significantly more likely to suffer their first onset of depression than unemployed black females with lighter skin shade. While in some cases, lighter skinned black women appeared not to suffer adverse effects of unemployment compared to their employed counterparts, persons with dark complexions did not enjoy the same degree of protection from poor mental health.

• Black women who are subject to unemployment during the past year are 2.6 % more likely to experience their first bout of depression in the past year than persons who were employed throughout the past half year. Those classified as medium skin shade have the same chance of suffering from depression as those with light skin.
• In addition, black women with dark skin are also equally likely to suffer from depression for the first time during the past year as those with light skin. However, the probability of suffering from depression for black women with dark skin is significantly greater than for those with medium skin shade.
• Perceptions of discrimination in general or at work do not differ significantly by skin tone. However, a larger share of dark skinned black women believe they are discriminated against because of their skin shade-by whites and blacks-and that they are shunted into less desirable work.
• Dark skinned black women are even more likely than light complexioned black women, 17 %, to believe whites treat them unfairly because of their dark skin shade.