For women of color living in America, racial bias is all too common in their everyday lives. And now, a new study published by the Georgetown University Law Center on Poverty and Inequality reveals that black girls as young as five years old face these kinds of prejudices and are viewed as "less innocent" than their white peers.
Researchers surveyed 325 adults who lived in various parts of the United States and were from different racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. A majority—74 percent—were white, and 62 percent of respondents were female. They were given questionnaires regarding how they perceived the development and maturity of either black girls or white girls over several age brackets ranging from 0 to 19 years old. They were then asked to give their thoughts regarding how often black or white girls took on adult responsibilities, if they seemed older than their age, whether they needed to be supported, and how knowledgeable they seemed about sex.
Based on their responses, not only were black girls viewed as more "adult-like" than white girls, they were perceived as needing less nurturing, protection, and support. Additionally, black girls were viewed as being more independent and knowledgeable about adult subjects, including sex. What's worse, this type of bias was shown toward black girls as young as age five.
“Black women have historically been seen as aggressive, loud, defiant, and oversexualized,” Jamilia Blake, one of the study's coauthors and associate professor at Texas A&M University, told USA Today. “We have a societal stereotype that is pervasive. It goes across the media, and it’s embedded in our history and our interactions.”
She continued: “The fact that you think a (black) five-year-old is more knowledgeable about sex is amazing to me. When this stereotype is put on girls at a young age, it robs them of the naïveté of being a child.”
As the researchers noted, such perception proves damaging for young girls and can have lasting effects well into their adult lives. It contributes to the "adultification" of black girls, meaning it reinforces the stereotype that black girls are more mature and need less comfort and protection than white girls. This "adultification" then contributes to an academic environment in which girls are perceived as less innocent by their teachers and face harsher and more frequent discipline when at school. Furthermore, because this bias leads educators to believe that black girls are more independent and need less support, there are often fewer mentorship or leadership opportunities available to them. And as black girls enter into adulthood, this discriminatory perception has serious societal consequences and perpetuates the higher rates of criminalization of black women.
The study's authors hope that it will serve as a wake-up call for the public—and facilitate movement toward greater social equality.
"It’s a call for public awareness and policy reform," Blake said in a statement. "We urge legislators, advocates, and policymakers to examine the disparities that exist for black girls in the education and juvenile justice systems and to pursue reforms that preserve childhood for all."