Adultification bias

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may , discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Adultification bias is a form of racial prejudice where children of minority groups, such as African Americans in the United States, are treated as being more mature than they actually are by a reasonable social standard of development.

Examples may be situations in which African American children's true ages are disbelieved by authority figures like police officers, and where they face discipline in school for misbehavior where white girls would be excused the same actions on the grounds of their age.^[1]

In one survey in the United States, black girls were seen to have more adult-like traits than white girls through all stages of childhood.^[2] When a black girl misbehaves, her behavior is often treated as a deliberate, calculated infraction, rather than as a child making a mistake.^[1] Another American study similarly concluded that black boys were seen as less innocent than white boys of the same age, which affects how they are treated by authority figures like police officers.^[3]

Consequences for black girls include punishment for minuscule or nonexistent clothing infractions. They are five to six times more likely to be suspended from their schools than white girls. They are seen as less in need of access to mentorship and leadership opportunities.^[1]

Educators and authority figures can address adultification bias by improving their cultural competence and communication.^[1]

See also[]

• Free Grace case
• School-to-prison pipeline
• Angry black woman
• Jezebel

References[]

External links[]

• Research Confirms that Black Girls Feel the Sting of Adultification Bias Identified in Earlier Georgetown Law Study, Georgetown University Law Center

This sociology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

• v
• t