The Impact of Colorism on the Career Aspirations and Career Opportunities of Women in India

• Published in: Advances in developing human resources 2016-02, Vol.18 (1), p.38-53
• Main Authors: Sims, Cynthia, Hirudayaraj, Malar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Careers; Cultural values; Employee empowerment; Empowerment; Female employees; Human resource management; Minority & ethnic groups; Organization development; Qualitative research; Sex discrimination
• ISSN: 1523-4223; 1552-3055
• DOI: 10.1177/1523422315616339

The Problem Colorism is a preference for light skin tones and devaluing of dark skin. It is a genderized phenomenon, mostly affecting women, that creates social and workplace inequities and negatively affects women of color. In India, colorism is a customary practice perpetuated by cultural beliefs and values, social institutions, and the media. Although studies explore colorism among women of color within workplaces in the United States, qualitative research on the impact of colorism on career aspirations and opportunities of women of color abroad appears to be non-existent. The Solution Providing education about the impact of colorism on Indian women to HRD professionals can assist with the empowerment of women and address workplace inequalities based on skin tone. The Stakeholders As today’s global workforce is composed of people of color from various countries, and their cultural values affect their career aspirations and opportunities, human resource development professionals must understand the implications of colorism, particularly in countries where women are less empowered to challenge cultural beliefs and develop skills to address and prevent related workplace issues. The purpose of this article is to discuss how six India-born women experience colorism to increase awareness, fill the gap in the literature, and provide suggestions for engendering Indian women’s career empowerment.