Shades of social mobility: Colorism, ethnic origin and intergenerational social mobility

Abstract

In this paper, I study the difference in intergenerational mobility patterns between the indigenous and non-indigenous Mexican populations, analyzing the role played by the variability in skin tones inside both groups. I employ a composite sample based on two recent surveys with the same sampling frame and questionnaire design. I obtained three main results based on rank-rank regressions and transition matrices for both the economic and educational dimensions. First, the indigenous population faces a higher degree of intergenerational persistence and remains concentrated at the bottom of the distribution of economic resources. Secondly, there is a skin tone gradient for the indigenous and non-indigenous populations, where lighter skin tones tend to remain at a higher rank in the distribution of economic resources than darker skin tones. Thirdly, the association between ethnic origin, skin tone and economic mobility persist even after controlling for the intergenerational educational mobility experienced by the person.