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Mismatched racial identities, colourism, and health in Toronto and Vancouver

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  • Veenstra, Gerry

Abstract

Using original telephone survey data collected from adult residents of Toronto (n = 685) and Vancouver (n = 814) in 2009, I investigate associations between mental and physical health and variously conceived racial identities. An ‘expressed racial identity’ is a self-identification with a racial grouping that a person will readily express to others when asked to fit into official racial classifications presented by Census forms, survey researchers, insurance forms, and the like. Distinguishing between Asian, Black, South Asian, and White expressed racial identities, I find that survey respondents expressing Black identity are the most likely to report high blood pressure or hypertension, a risk that is slightly attenuated by socioeconomic status, and that respondents expressing Asian identity are the most likely to report poorer self-rated mental health and self-rated overall health, risks that are not explained by socioeconomic status. I also find that darker-skinned Black respondents are more likely than lighter-skinned Black respondents to report poor health outcomes, indicating that colourism, processes of discrimination which privilege lighter-skinned people of colour over their darker-skinned counterparts, exists and has implications for well-being in Canada as it does in the United States. Finally, ‘reflected racial identity’ refers to the racial identity that a person believes that others tend to perceive him or her to be. I find that expressed and reflected racial identities differ from one another for large proportions of self-expressed Black and South Asian respondents and relatively few self-expressed White and Asian respondents. I also find that mismatched racial identities correspond with relatively high risks of various poor health outcomes, especially for respondents who consider themselves White but believe that others tend to think they are something else. I conclude by presenting a framework for conceptualizing multifaceted suites of racial identities and relating their various components and inconsistencies between them to health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Veenstra, Gerry, 2011. "Mismatched racial identities, colourism, and health in Toronto and Vancouver," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(8), pages 1152-1162.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:73:y:2011:i:8:p:1152-1162
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.07.030
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wendy D. Roth, 2010. "Racial Mismatch: The Divergence Between Form and Function in Data for Monitoring Racial Discrimination of Hispanics," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1288-1311, December.
    2. Darity, William Jr. & Mason, Patrick L. & Stewart, James B., 2006. "The economics of identity: The origin and persistence of racial identity norms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 283-305, July.
    3. Veenstra, Gerry, 2009. "Racialized identity and health in Canada: Results from a nationally representative survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 538-542, August.
    4. Wendy D. Roth, 2010. "Racial Mismatch: The Divergence Between Form and Function in Data for Monitoring Racial Discrimination of Hispanics," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(s1), pages 1288-1311.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Perreira, Krista M. & Telles, Edward E., 2014. "The color of health: Skin color, ethnoracial classification, and discrimination in the health of Latin Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 241-250.
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    4. Louie, Patricia & Wilkes, Rima, 2018. "Representations of race and skin tone in medical textbook imagery," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 38-42.

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