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Cited by 25Racial and Ethnic Identity ResearchNames, Identity, and Discrimination ResearchSouth Asian Studies and Diaspora

India's Color Complex: One Day's Worth of Matrimonials

Utley, T. Jerome, Darity, William·2016·The Review of Black Political Economy
DOI 10.1007/s12114-016-9233-x
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Abstract

Lighter skin complexions may function as a form of capital, particularly for women, in marriage markets. The existence of a preference for light skin for marital partners is an index of the presence of colorism or color bias in a given society. This paper reports on a detailed examination of marital advertisements that appeared in India's Sunday Times on a single day in March 2013. It asks how often skin shade is mentioned in the advertisements placed among those seeking grooms and those seeking brides, how those mentions are distributed by the reported age of the prospective marital partner, and the type of language used to describe the individual's complexion. The study finds that skin shade is described far more often in advertisements placed by prospective brides or their families than prospective grooms or their families, and, whenever complexion is mentioned, the possession of lighter skin shades.

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Authors
Utley, T. J., & Darity, W.
Affiliations
Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
Darity, William
ORCID
Darity, William
Venue
The Review of Black Political Economy
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2016-01
Volume
43
Issue
2
Pages
129-138
ISSN
  • 0034-6446 (ISSN-L)
  • 1936-4814
DOI
10.1007/s12114-016-9233-x
OpenAlex
W2339345950
Cited by
25
References
17
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
FWCI
5.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • The Review of Black Political Economy (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › South Asian Studies and Diaspora
Keywords
colorism, skin color, marriage market, matrimonial advertisements, gender and marriage, India

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