Chinese Mothers’ Profiles of Color-Conscious Socialization and Social Dominance Orientation: Relations to Children’s Racial Attitudes

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.