Colorism, Complexion Homogamy, and Household Wealth: Some Historical Evidence

摘要

In an article appearing in the National Era (October 5, 1854), a writer disputed the contention that "every one of African descent values himself in proportion to the degree of white blood he has in his veins, and it is rarely the case that mulattoes are willing to form matrimonial alliances with persons having less." Al-though he labeled it a slander, historians believe that the practice of complexion homogamy— light marries light and dark marries dark—was commonplace (Tommy L. Bogger, 1997). The habit among African-Americans to marry someone of a similar complexion reflects the wider tendency of marriage between those of similar social, ethnic, economic, and educational backgrounds—a practice labeled status "homogamy" by sociologists or "assortative mating" by economists (Matthijs Kalmijn, 1991). Sociologists study homogamy because they believe it assists in understanding important social processes, including the family's ability to pass on group values. Economists study it because they believe homogamy enhances complementarities in household production and may reinforce the intergenerational persistence of wealth, income, education, and other economic outcomes.